I Know You Love Me
by FaithinBones
Summary: Booth and Brennan are more than partners. They're more than best friends. They're family. This is a sequel to my story "Casualties of War".
1. Chapter 1

This story is a sequel to "Casualties of War" and will be about Booth and Brennan learning to be parents and partners in life while still doing their very stressful jobs and dealing with their families.

You don't have to read "Casualties of War" before you read this story. The only thing you need to know is that Hank is living with Booth and Brennan and Booth and Brennan have a daughter named Joy Christine Seeley Booth. They have a daytime nanny for Christine whom I will mention once in a while. Her name is Sue.

Oh, I also know that my chapters have a tendency to be short. I have tried to make them longer in this story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

When Brennan had her baby, Rebecca realized that she was no longer in the driver's seat when it came to Parker. Up until the birth of Christine Booth, Rebecca had total control of Seeley Booth's only child. She dictated when Booth saw Parker or even "If" he saw Parker. With the addition of another Booth child this had to change. Booth had a daughter and was living with that baby's mother. He saw his daughter every day. Rebecca knew that if she continued to try to limit the amount of time that her son had with his father, that it was going to cause a problem with her relationship with her beloved son. Parker was already asking why he only got to see his father two weekends a month. Now that he had a half-sister, Parker was starting to feel jealous of the amount of time his father spent with his half-sister. Two months after the birth of Christine, Rebecca finally saw what Booth had been seeing for weeks. Parker was beginning to resent his mother. This was devastating to Rebecca. Her little boy wasn't little any more. He was eleven years old and was becoming a little man. He wanted to be with his father and Rebecca had no choice, she would have to start sharing custody of Parker with Booth or eventually lose Parker.

Rebecca had waited until a few days before it was time to take Parker over for his visit with Booth, to call Booth and let him know that if he wanted to try, she would be willing to increase the amount of time that Parker was allowed to see Booth. She had decided that a growing boy needs his father and she would like Parker to live with Booth two weeks a month. Parker would still go to the school he was going to now; so, it would be Booth's responsibility to make sure he got to school on those days Parker was staying with Booth and Brennan.

Much to Rebecca's surprise, Booth had told her that he would have to talk to Brennan about this new offer. He didn't live by himself any more and he had to take Brennan's feelings into account before he made his decision. Rebecca had told Booth that she understood and that she would like him to let her know his decision before she brought Parker over for his visit. Ending the call, Rebecca knew that she resented what Booth had told her. She understood; but, boy, did she resent that Booth now had to think of some other woman's feelings and wishes when he made big decisions. "Yes," Rebecca thought. "My feelings and wishes no longer matter to Seeley Joseph Booth. That hurts more than I thought it would."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Driving home from the Lab that evening, Booth brought up the subject of Parker to Brennan.

Driving and still trying to look at Brennan, Booth said, "Rebecca called me this morning. She wants to change my visitation time with Parker."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "That's not fair, Booth. You only get to see Parker two weekends a month as it is. If anything, I think she should increase the amount of time you get to see Parker."

Hopeful, Booth said, "Yeah, uh, Rebecca said she thought it was time that we share custody of Parker. She wants Parker to stay with me two weeks a month instead of four days."

Smiling, Brennan said, "Good."

Frowning, Booth asked, "What? That's it? Just Good? You don't have any concerns about having an eleven year old living with us?"

Puzzled, Brennan said, "No, why should I? I love Parker and would like to see him more often than four days a month. It's not like we don't already have a room for him and he would be able to see his great-grandfather more often."

Happy, Booth pulled his SUV over into a bank parking lot, parked the truck and looked at Brennan. "You surprised me. I thought for sure I would have to talk you into it."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "I know you did."

Smiling, Booth said, "You did?"

"Of course," Brennan said, "I know you better than you think I do, Booth. I've been studying you for a very long time."

Interested, Booth asked, "What else do you know about me?"

Smiling, Brennan said, "I know you love me and our daughter Christine. I know you love Parker and you love Hank. I also know you love Jared although you don't like him. I'm not really sure how that works; but, it works for you."

Smiling, Booth said, "Well, Jared is a whole other kettle of fish. Let's not spoil my day by talking about Jared."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Of course, except I should warn you that Jared called me this afternoon and told me he's going to drop by to visit Hank and Christine this evening."

Pursing his lips, Booth said, "So he isn't going to visit us, just Pops and Christine?"

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Yes, I didn't understand that either. I asked him about it and Jared told me that visiting with us is boring. He said when we're together, most of the time, no one else exists. He said it's become worse since we started living together."

Frowning, Booth said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan said, "I have no idea. I thought you would be able to explain it to me."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "It sounds like some of Sweets malarkey to me."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "I though so too. I just wasn't sure. We don't really ignore people, do we? That sounds like an exaggeration to me."

Leaning over and kissing Brennan, Booth said, "Nah, we don't ignore anyone. Jared is just trying to be a smart ass."

Smiling, Booth continued, "Well, if we don't have to entertain him then maybe we can entertain ourselves."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Any good? Does this sound interesting? Please let me know. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks so much for all of the alerts and the reviews.

I really appreciate any and all reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooo

The next week, a fisherman named Charles Manspeaker, who had been fishing up stream of Everett, Pennsylvania on the Juniata River, felt his boat hit what turned out to be two barrels, tied together with heavy wire. The water in the river was higher and muddier than normal so Charles wasn't surprised that he didn't see them before he hit them with his boat.

Charles had used his IPhone and reported finding the barrels to the Bedford County Sheriff's office. Two deputies were sent out in a boat to where Charles agreed to wait for them. Once the deputies saw that the barrels were just under the surface they decided to bring them to shore. They tied a rope to the wire holding the barrels together and towed them. Once they had got in near shore, they had a very hard time getting the barrels up onto the river bank. The barrels were very heavy. Deputy Gabriel Finch didn't like the looks of the barrels and decided to pull rank and have his partner, Todd Sipes, open up one of the barrels while he and Charles stood a good ways up on the river bank.

"I never believed that you would stoop this low, Gabe," Deputy Sipes said. "There can't be anything good in these barrels. Why don't we call out hazmat for them. They might contain poison or something."

Shaking his head, Gabe said, "Nah, their just oil barrels. Don't be a girl, Todd. Just open the damn thing so we can go back. It's chilly out here this morning."

Wishing he had passed the Sergeant's exam the last time he took it, Todd held his breath and opened one of the barrels. It didn't help. The second the lid was off, Todd was overwhelmed with the foulest odor he had ever smelled. He immediately lost the breakfast his bride of three years had made for him. "Damn it, Gabe, I told you this was a bad idea."

Gabe, who could smell the contents of the barrel from his perch atop of the river bank, pointed to the barrel and said, "What's in the barrel, Todd?"

"Why don't you come down and look for yourself, you selfish bastard," Todd said, gagging.

"Now, now, Todd, you've already made a mess of your uniform. Why would I want to do that too? Just look in the barrel and tell me what you see?"

Angry, Todd picked up a stick and poked it in the barrel. He wasn't happy when he pulled up a skull. "Ah, hell, now we're going to have to spend all morning filling out paper work. Thanks a lot Gabe."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The coroner for Bedford County took one look at the contents in the barrels and decided that he wouldn't be able to identify the remains. He didn't have the resources that big cities had so he told the sheriff that he needed to contact the FBI and hand the two body soups over to them. The sheriff really disliked doing that; but, if his coroner couldn't identify the bodies then he needed to turn them over to someone who could.

The FBI was contacted and ultimately, the case was handed over to Booth who had the barrels shipped to the Jeffersonian.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The bodies arrived at the Jeffersonian two days later. Wendell and Fisher were given the jobs of fishing through the two barrels and pulling out all of the bones they could find. Once that was done, the barrels were given to Hodgins. He needed to go through the left over soup and find anything that may have been dropped in the barrel besides the bodies. He also took the opportunity to analyze the soup to determine it's exact contents and see if it was possible to extract DNA for identification purposes.

Brennan looked over the skeletons after Wendell and Fisher had cleaned them up and had laid them out on two tables, on the platform. She found the cause of death as soon as she looked at the skulls. Both victims had been shot in the base of their skulls, what Booth liked to classify as execution style. Brennan let Hodgins know that he should be looking for projectiles in the soup he was looking through. After talking to Hodgins, Brennan contacted Booth.

Calling Booth on his cell phone, Brennan heard Booth answer, "Booth."

"Hi," Brennan said, "I thought I would let you know that I have determined the cause of death for both victims that were found in the barrels. They died of gunshot wounds to the base of their skulls."

"Wow, Bones, quick work." Booth said, very proudly. "Did you find the bullets yet?"

"No, the shots weren't through and through so the projectiles are probably in the barrels. I let Hodgins know and he said he will let me know if he finds them. I have determined that one of the victims was a Caucasian male, approximately 30 to 35 years of age. The other victim is a Caucasian female, approximately 25 to 30 years of age. The male has had numerous fractures in the past. It's possible he was in a motorcycle accident. I'm still studying the bones; but, I should have a report ready for you by tomorrow afternoon."

"Good. How's it going Bones? Are you doing ok?" Booth knew she didn't like him to constantly ask her that; but, he couldn't help it. He did worry. Brennan didn't sleep though the night anymore. Christine had the habit of waking up every three hours wanting something. Booth had tried to get up a few times, to take care of Christine; but, Brennan had become angry at him for losing sleep. She told him that she didn't want him to be too tired when he was doing his job. He might make a mistake and get killed. It didn't matter if she was tired because she could always take a nap during the day at the Lab. It wasn't as if she would get into trouble for it.

"I'm fine, Booth," Brennan said, "I took a nap a little while ago. You need to quit worrying about me. It isn't necessary."

"Yeah, I know. Just let me be me, Bones. If I didn't worry about you then I would worry about something else. I do promise to keep the worry down to a minimum though. How about we go out on a date this evening? You choose the place and we'll go after work. It's early days in our new case, so we have the time. We can go after we put Christine to bed and have Pops and Parker watch her while we're gone. Come on, we would be gone only a couple of hours. I'm buying."

Laughing, Brennan said, "Well, if Hank doesn't mind and if you're buying then how can I turn the offer down."

Happy, Booth said, "Good, I'll pick you at around 6 p.m. We can decide where we want to go on the way home."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

You know, I wouldn't have opened the barrels; but, heck, that's just me. Reviews would be appreciated. Thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't recieve any reviews for my last chapter so I thought I would check, is anyone still reading this story? Let me know by reviewing this story. Thanks.

ooooooooooooooooo

I don't own Bones.

Date night had proved to be very interesting. Brennan had heard about a Boris Karloff retrospective at a local theater and she had told Booth that she wanted to go to that for their date. It hadn't been the romantic evening that Booth had been looking for; but, seeing old movies with Brennan was a real treat. She loved old movies and could actually quote dialogue from a lot of them. That she would put some acting into her efforts made it all the more fascinating for Booth.

The theater had not been full since it was a Thursday night so they had sat in the back of the theater away from the small crowd and Brennan had spoke, what dialogue she knew, very quietly so as not to bother the other patrons. Booth spent most of the time watching Brennan instead of the movie and had a very good time. After the movie was over, Booth had managed to steal a few kisses from Brennan before they left their seats. All in all, Booth had loved his date and he knew that Brennan had too. He would definitely keep this kind of date in mind for the future.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving home, Hank had let them know that everything was fine and everyone had managed to stay alive on his watch. Brennan had thought that was very funny and had kissed Hank on the cheek as she passed him on the way down the hallway to look at Christine.

Hank had thought the joke was lame; but, if his granddaughter-in-law loved it then who was he to argue. Considering some of the jokes that he had heard his grandson tell her, he felt that Brennan was too easy when it came to jokes. On the other hand, you have to love someone who loves knock-knock jokes.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

It had turned out to be a rather romantic night for Booth and Brennan, after everyone had gone to bed. Booth had managed to have the romantic evening he thought he was going to have earlier in the evening. Making the most of their time together, Booth and Brennan had finally gone to sleep at around midnight, so Booth wasn't very happy when he felt a small hand tapping the middle of his back at two in the morning.

Waking with a start, Booth turned over to see Parker staring at him. A little embarrassed and grateful that he and Brennan had a blanket pulled up over them, Booth said, "Listen, Buddy. Didn't we have a talk the other day about you knocking on the door before coming in here?"

Nodding his head, Parker said, "I need to tell you something Dad. It's important."

Staring at Parker, Booth asked, "Can't it wait until the morning?"

Shaking his head, Parker said, "Please Dad, it's important. I need to show you something."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Ok, go out into the hallway and close the door on the way out. I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

Seeing that his Dad wasn't going to get up until he left, Parker left the room, closing the door behind him.

"I told you that we needed to install a lock on the door," Brennan said sleepily.

Turning over and hugging Brennan, Booth said, "Yes, you did. I'll go to the hardware store today."

Blushing, Booth continued, "Thank God he didn't come in here a couple of hours ago."

Smiling, Brennan said, "I agree that may have been a little awkward. Have you talked to Parker about sex yet?"

Frowning, Booth said, "Not only am I not having the sex talk with Parker at two in the morning; but, I'm not having it with you either."

Getting out of bed, Booth looked around on the floor until he found his shorts. Putting his shorts on, Booth then walked out into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind him and yawned. "OK, Parker. What's so urgent?"

"I saw a mouse in my bedroom, Dad." Parker said. "Mom says they carry disease and I always need to let someone know as soon as I see one."

Nodding his head, Booth walked down to Parker's room and looked in. Not seeing anything, Booth walked into the room. Looking around, Booth saw a small furry body move along the baseboard and then go into Parker's closet.

"Terrific," Booth said.

Thinking it over, Booth asked Parker, "Would you like to sleep on the spare bed in Christine's room tonight?"

Nodding his head, Parker said, "Sure, Dad. I can make sure that the mouse doesn't get into bed with Christine."

Turning a little pale, Booth went into Christine's room, picked her up and told Parker to follow him. Walking down the hallway to their bedroom, Booth opened the door and called out to Brennan, "Heah, Bones. We're going to have company tonight. Can we come in now?"

Sighing, Brennan got up from bed and put on her nightshirt. Getting back into bed, Brennan said, "Alright."

Propping herself up on her elbows, Brennan saw Booth come into the room with Christine and Parker.

Smiling, Booth said, "We have a mouse in the house. The kids are going to sleep with us tonight and then I'm calling pest control in the morning."

Shaking her head, Brennan laid back down and closed her eyes.

Not hearing any objections, Booth put Christine on the bed next to Brennan's head and lay down next to her. Parker seeing that it was going to be a little crowded, laid down on the foot of the bed and covered himself with a blanket.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Interesting? Thanks for reviews. I really appreciate them.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews and alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

The next day, Booth made arrangements for a pest control service to come over and get rid of their mouse problem. Hank and Christine's nanny, Sue, were told about it before Booth took Parker to school and Brennan left the apartment for work. Hank thought it was funny that Booth was worried about a little mouse. Sue was worried that Hank wasn't worried at all.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the Hoover building, Booth decided that he needed a cup of coffee. He was still sleepy. He definitely didn't want a repeat of last night. He had no idea that a little kid could move so much while sleeping. Parker was active during the day; but, "My God", Booth thought, "how does he manage get any rest after tossing and turning all night." Booth had heard once, that kids were like little corpses when they slept. "I guess that doesn't apply to all kids. Of course, my kid has to be the exception to the rule."

Walking down the hall to his office, Booth ran into Agent Shaw. Cam had sent over the dental impressions of the barrel victims. Cam had promised to send over their DNA profile in a few days. Hodgins had found pieces of skin and some bits of organs as well as the hair of the victims. Cam was sure that they would be able to get DNA from them. Cam had also told Shaw that she was sure that the victims had been dead for at least six months. Handing over the folder containing the info; Booth thanked Agent Shaw.

Walking with Booth, Agent Shaw said, "Dr. Saroyan also wanted me to let you know that Angela is working on a reconstruction of the victims faces and she should be able to send us a picture of what they probably look like this afternoon."

Nodding his head, Booth stopped and said, "We need to go through missing persons reports for Bedford County, Pennsylvania. If we don't find something there then we can widen our search for the surrounding counties. If that doesn't turn up anything, then we'll look at western Pennsylvania and Maryland."

"Of course, sir," Agent Shaw said. "I thought I would also let you know that Dr. Sweets is in your office, waiting for you."

Puzzled, Booth asked, "Did he say what he wants me for?"

Shaking her head, Agent Shaw said, "No Sir. He just said he would wait for you to come in this morning, in your office."

Nodding his head and sipping his coffee, Booth continued down the hallway to his office. Entering the room, Booth saw Sweets sitting on the couch near the door. He looked like someone had just run over his dog.

"Uh-oh," Booth thought. "This can't be good."

Walking around his desk, Booth sat down and pretended not to see Sweets. "Maybe if I ignore him, Sweets will go away," Booth hoped.

Sighing, Sweets said, "Do you have a few minutes, Agent Booth?"

Sighing himself, Booth looked up and smiled, "Of course, Sweets. What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I hope you don't mind; but, it isn't work related," Sweets said, hopefully.

A little worried, Booth said, "That's ok Sweets. What do you want?"

Getting up from the couch, Sweets slowly walked over to the chair across from Booth's desk and sat down. Grimacing, Sweets said, "Daisy and I broke up."

"Damn," Booth thought. "Not again."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "What caused it this time, Sweets? She running off to some dig in the Somas or something?"

Shaking his head, Sweets said, "No. She said we don't really have anything in common and we could probably find someone more compatible if we would just look. She says she loves me; but, she doesn't think we're made for each other."

Frowning, Booth said, "She's probably right, Sweets. You guys really don't have anything in common. Maybe you should see this as a good thing. Get out there and find someone that's interested in the same things you are."

Angry at the advice, Sweets said, "Like you and Dr. Brennan?"

Getting annoyed, Booth said, "You came to me for advice, Sweets. If you don't want to take it, then don't take it. Just don't try to find fault with my relationship with Bones just because your unhappy. I'm your friend, not your whipping boy and I won't hesitate to throw your ass out of here if you make me mad enough."

Hanging his head, Sweets said, "I'm sorry. You're right. Daisy hardly ever talks to me anymore. I guess she's been unhappy for a little while. I think I'm just frustrated that she doesn't even want to try to make our relationship work. I mean we had this same conversation months ago and we seemed to get past it; but, I guess I was wrong. She told me that it's wrong to base a relationship on liking the same TV show. She said she realized that she needs more."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Things happen, Sweets. Your old enough to know that we can't control how other people feel about us or treat us. She wants to move on. You have to let her do it. If it's a mistake, she'll figure it out sooner or later. In the mean time, try to move on yourself."

"Yeah, but what if I meet someone and then Daisy figures out that she really doesn't want to break up with me after all? What would I do then?" Sweets asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "That's the risk she'll have to take. She's the one who's breaking up with you, not the other way around."

Nodding his head, Sweets said, "I guess."

Getting up, Sweets left the office without saying anything.

Looking after Sweets, Booth thought, "Wow, poor Sweets. On the other hand, I bet Bones would appreciate a little less Lance this and Lance that coming out of Daisy's mouth."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

I would appreciate it if you would review my story. Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the alerts and reviews. They're very encouraging.

I don't own Bones.

oooooooooooooooooooooo

"When you think about it clearly and logically this phobia makes no sense what so ever," Brennan thought. "Why am I only afraid of snakes when Booth's around? It doesn't make any sense at all. I have been in contact with snakes when Booth was not around and I have not felt any fear at all. It just seems that whenever a snake comes into my sight and Booth is with me, I cannot control my anxiety. I hate psychology; but, there must a reason for this kind of phobia. I just wish I could ask Sweets about it without him asking me one hundred questions that are none of his busines."

Looking over towards Booth, Brennan said, "Are you sure that my services are required at this crime scene, Booth? Maybe you would have been better served if you had brought Cam."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Nah, Bones. I told you. The zoo director said that the body has probably been inside the snake for about four or five days. The zoo was shut down when they had that storm come through five days ago and several trees fell. They needed to get that cleaned up and do some repairs before they could reopen. The Director said that he's not missing any employees; but, the zoo did have an alarm go off the night after the storm. The cops came out to check on it; but, they didn't find anything wrong. The employee responsible for the python didn't realize that there might be a problem until yesterday afternoon when he found a torn sweater in the cage with the snake. If the snake chowed down the night the alarm went off, then the body is probably kind of messy. Messy is your specialty."

Frowning, Brennan said, "My specialty is bones, Booth. That's why you call me Bones. My specialty is not messy bodies and I can assure you I did not specialize in bodies that have been eaten by snakes."

Smiling, Booth turned to look over at Brennan and then back at the road, "Come on Bones. You know what I meant. Just pronounce the guy dead and we'll get his or her body shipped back to the Jeffersonian. You can get one of the squints to clean up the icky parts and then you can do your thing."

Not smiling, Brennan said, "You could have had Cam do that. I don't see why anyone has to pronounce someone dead who's been inside of a snake for days. It's ridiculous. Does the FBI really think that there is a possibility that the victim is still alive?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "Ridiculous or not, it's the law. We can't move the body until the victim has been pronounced dead. It takes a coroner or an equivalent to do that. You know that. I don't make the laws, I just have to enforce them."

Staring at Booth, Brennan said, "You just wanted me to come with you because you may have to stay overnight and you don't want to sleep by yourself anymore."

Smiling, Booth said, "Well, there is that. I'm used to sleeping with you now. How will I keep warm on these cold nights if you won't sleep with me?"

Rolling her eyes, Brennan said, "The announcer on the weather channel said the high for today, for this area, is supposed to be in the low sixties and the low temperature is supposed to be in the forty's. I hardly think you'll freeze to death under those conditions. If that's your reason, then I could have just packed a blanket for you."

Frowning, Booth flicked his eyes towards Brennan and said, "Ok, what's wrong? Most of the time you beat me to the truck when we have a case. This time, I practically had to drag you out of bed and then the apartment. Are you mad at me?"

Seeing that Booth was getting a little concerned, Brennan said, "Of course I'm not angry with you Booth. I just don't see where my expertise is needed for this particular case."

Not sure what Brennan's problem was, Booth decided not say anything else. Why risk an argument. They had been getting along a lot better than he had thought they would and he sure didn't want to rock the boat now. He had been worried that living together would increase the bickering they usually do; but, so far, they hadn't done too much of that. He supposed that he and Brennan were more accommodating living together than they were living apart. What ever the reason, he loved living with Brennan. It was his dream come true. If she wanted to be cranky then so be it. She had a right to be cranky if she wanted to be. He'd just deal with it. After all, he could be really cranky himself sometimes.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the zoo, Booth drove over to the back employee parking lot and took a space that had the name "Peter Goetz" painted on a sign to denote who the space belonged to. "What the hell," Booth thought. "I have to park somewhere and Peter can be a nice guy and let me use his spot."

After getting out of the truck, Booth started walking towards where he had been told the Reptile House was located. Realizing that Brennan didn't get out of the truck, Booth stopped and looked back at the truck. Seeing that Brennan was still sitting where he had left her, Booth walked back to the truck and walked around to the passenger side. Opening the door, Booth found Brennan staring straight ahead.

Holding onto the door frame, Booth leaned into the truck and asked, "What's wrong, Bones? Are you sick? Is that why you didn't want to come with me? I know you've been tired lately, don't you feel well?"

Turning and looking at Booth, Brennan said, "You know Booth, from what I understand about Reticulated Pythons, they kill their prey by crushing them and then they ingest them. Eating human adults is not usually something they do. This snake would have to very big to actually eat an adult human."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yeah, I know. You told me that when I got the call. It's just that the head of the reptile house said that he found a torn sweater in the cage with the snake, so late last night, he had the snake x-rayed to see if there was anything to worry about. He said he can clearly see what looks like a human head in the snake. What do you want me to do, Bones? The guy showed the x-ray to the zoo director and he agreed that it looks like a human head. The director called the police to report it and they called the Jeffersonian because they wanted your expertise. They want you, Bones. You're the best in your field. Who else were they going to call? They don't want to cut the snake open unless they have to. It's the biggest Reticulated Python in captivity."

Grimacing, Brennan turned around and looked at Booth. Seeing that he wasn't going to go away, Brennan got out of the truck. "Why can't I tell Booth that I don't want to be around snakes when he's around?" Brennan thought, "That doesn't make any more sense than the phobia itself."

Sighing, Brennan followed Booth to the Reptile House. "Why did it have to be the biggest Reticulated Python in captivity?" Brennan thought.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Does this sound interesting? Let me know. Thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you for the reviews and the alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth and Brennan were met by Jason Peters, the Zoo Director. He had been waiting as patiently as possible; but, he was a busy man and this whole thing was taking up too much of his time. Pointedly looking at his watch, Jason then looked at Booth.

Not caring for Director Peters' attitude, Booth smiled and said, "I'm Special Agent in Charge, Seeley Booth and this here is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. We were working on a murder case when we got a call asking us to drop what we were doing and come here and see about some skull in a snake. Is that why we're here?"

Blushing, Director Peters said, "Uh, look we may be dealing with a murder ourselves. With all of our safety precautions there is no way some outsider just stumbled into a snake cage and got eaten. It's not possible. If our snake has a human head in it then I have to assume that we may have a crime. That's why I informed the police. The police wanted me to just cut open my snake and have a look inside. I told them that I wasn't cutting open my snake unless I can be assured that there really is a human head in the snake and we aren't just seeing things. That's why they said they would call Dr. Brennan."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "If you'll take us to your office, you can show my partner the x-rays and we can go from there."

Turning around, Director Peters led Booth and Brennan to his office. "God, I hope I don't have to cut up my snake," Director Peters thought. "Damn it all to hell. If I find out this really is a murder then they may end up arresting me for what I'm going to do to whoever caused this mess. Damn tourists."

Oooooooooooooooo

Walking into the Director's office, Brennan noticed a very neat and organized desk. In the center of the desk was a large envelope that contained what Brennan assumed were x-rays. Walking over to the desk, Brennan picked up the envelope and looking at the director, asked, "Are these the x-rays you want me to look at?"

Nodding his head, Director Peters said, "Yes. Please look at them and let me know what you think. I mean, it looks like a human head to me; but, what do I know? I'm a zoologist."

Frowning, Brennan picked up the envelope and pulled out the x-rays. She found that there were four x-rays in the envelope. Holding each one up to the overhead lights, Brennan studied the x-rays. "Damn," Brennan thought. "I was hoping these people were just stupid; but, I guess they aren't. It really is a human head."

Putting the x-rays back into the envelope and then putting the envelope back onto the desk, Brennan turned to Booth and said, "It's a human head. The victim is dead. You can take me back to the Jeffersonian now."

Stunned, Director Peters said, "Wait, that's it? I thought you were here to find out if there really was a human head in my snake and if there was, then how that happened, not just tell me that someone is dead. Any idiot knows that a human head in a snake means that the person is dead. I didn't need you to tell me that. Are you some kind of smart ass or something?"

Frowning, Booth said, "Heah, Buddy. Watch your mouth. The local police asked Dr. Brennan to come out and confirm that the head in the snake was really a human head and not just some monkey head. She did that. Cut the damn snake open, take the head out, along with whatever else you find, and turn it over to the police. The local police are perfectly capable of investigating what happened."

Frowning, Director Peters said, "Look, I'm not insulting the local police; but, the reputation of this zoo is very important to this city. I don't for a minute believe someone broke into the zoo, opened the snake cage, stood still while the snake came over to him or her and then let the snake strangle them so the snake could eat them. If someone is inside my snake, then it was either an accident or he or she was murdered and was then fed to my snake. I want the best person working on this case. The police chief said that Dr. Brennan is the best in her field. He told me that he didn't have a problem with getting the FBI involved in this case. He also said that you and your partner have a very good reputation for solving murders very quickly."

Turning to Brennan, Director Peters continued, "Please, Dr. Brennan, I need you to identify the victim as soon as possible. We need to know who died and how they died. The Reptile House has been closed since the sweater was found in the cage. I can't open the Reptile House back up if the cops are fumbling around trying to do the job you can probably do in half the time. The Reptile House is our biggest draw in the winter time. I have to be able to asure my visitors that it's safe to visit us. If it was an accident then I need to go over security measures to make sure it never happens again. If it was a murder then it's important that you say it is so I can reopen."

Looking at the Director and then at Booth, Brennan said, "I suppose we could investigate this one, Booth. I need the head and anything else that the snake consumed. "

Turning back to the Director, Brennan said, "If you will take me to the snake, I will attempt a necropsy. It isn't my specialty; but, I am willing to do it as long as you provide me with an assistant."

Turning to Booth, Brennan said, "Booth, I would prefer that you not be in the room with me when I do the necropsy. You make faces and weird noises when something is repulsive to you. I don't want to deal with that and the snake too."

Smiling, Booth said, "Fine by me, Bones. I can wait in the exhibit until you're done."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

With Booth waiting in the exhibit, Brennan found that the necropsy had been fairly simple. She had contacted Hodgins and he had talked her through the procedure. The man in charge of the reptile house had wanted to do the necropsy; but, Brennan had told him that she had been called in to investigate a possible murder and she would have to do it. She did use him as her assistant though. The best part of this was that without Booth around, the sight of the snake hadn't bothered her. She hadn't felt any qualms about being in the same room as the snake. This was just further evidence to her that her phobia was the silliest thing that she had ever had to deal with. She had thought Booth's clown phobia was annoying; but, now she knew that her own phobia was more annoying than Booth's phobia ever could be.

Thinking about it, Brennan thought, "The next time Booth reacts to a clown, I'm going to be more sympathetic."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

The snake had indeed consumed a human head. It had also consumed one rabbit, two human hands and a wedding ring. Brennan had boxed up everything she had found in the snake's digestive system and carried it out to the truck. Booth also collected the sweater that had been found in the snake cage. It was decided that Booth and Brennan would drive back to D.C. and give Hodgins the contents of the box and the sweater. He would examine the contents for as much information as he could get from it and then Brennan would assign one of the squints the job of de-fleshing the head after numerous pictures had been made of it. It was in terrible shape to say the least. Brennan would then get Angela to do a facial reconstruction and dental impressions. She would then forward that information on to Booth.

Booth had agreed that the snake cage was not the initial crime scene. No other body parts had been found in the cage or in the snake, so they could definitely rule out an accident. Booth told Director Peters that he would have some FBI forensic specialists come out to the zoo and collect as much data and material as they could, from both inside and outside of the cage. As soon as that was done, the FBI would release the cage and the Reptile House could reopen. Booth would have one of his agents check with the missing persons database and see if the agent could find out if anyone connected to the zoo was missing.

In the mean time, Booth and Brennan decided to go home and work on the other case they had been assigned to before they were pulled away. That was fine with Brennan. If she didn't see another snake any time soon, that would be fine with her. Since she had done so well with the necropsy, Brennan felt it would be better if she didn't remind Booth about her snake phobia. "He's obviously forgot about the time I didn't react too well when we came across that room full of snakes. That poor girl we rescued had been terrified; but, the truth be told, I wasn't very happy myself. I don't want Booth to worry about this. He worries too much about me as it is," Brennan thought. "I won't add this to his worry list. It's already too long."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Are you still interested in my story?


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you for the reviews and alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next few days had proved to be very quiet. Booth liked it that way. A few days after the trip to the zoo, Booth found himself in his office doing paper work. The morning passed by for Booth rather slowly. Someone had to do the paper work; but, he wished he didn't have so much of it to do. At around 11 a.m., his phone rang. Seeing that it was Brennan's number, Booth smiled and answered the phone, "Heah Bones, what's up?"

Sounding strange on the phone, Brennan said, "Booth, I need you to not over-react about what I'm about to tell you. So please let me explain first before you say anything."

Starting to feel fearful, Booth said, "What's going on, Bones? Are you alright? Are Christine and Pops ok. Is Parker ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine and so are Christine, Parker and Hank," Brennan said, "I just need to let you know about something that happened a little while ago. I didn't want you to hear about it from Angela."

Rubbing his forehead, Booth held the phone tightly and asked, "You're killing me, Bones. Tell me what's going on."

Taking a deep breath, Brennan said, "Angela and I were walking over to the café, across the street from the Lab, for lunch, when a man ran up behind us and grabbed Angela's purse. I decided to stop him so I knocked him to the ground. I just wanted to let you know about it before someone else told you."

A little shaken, Booth said, "Are you ok? I can come to where ever you're at."

"No," Brennan said, "That won't be necessary. I just wanted you to know so that you can go pick up Parker after school today. I won't be able to do it this afternoon."

Frowning, Booth said, "Why not? What aren't you telling me Bones?"

Talking softly, Brennan said, "The EMT's insisted that I go to the hospital. I only went because they insisted. Now that I'm here, the doctor won't let me leave, yet. He's being ridiculous. I'm fine."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Bones, I swear you're going to give me a stroke if you don't tell me what's going on. Just tell me what's wrong. Please."

"Well, when I knocked the assailant down, he became quite angry. He got up from the ground and he looked like he was going to rush me again. I thought I would just knock him back to the ground; but, apparently he had a partner. The partner came up behind me while I was looking at the purse snatcher and he hit me on my right arm with what may have been a pipe. I'm just letting you know because of Parker and because Angela said she would call you if I didn't."

Shaken, Booth said, "You tell me where you're at, Bones. Right now."

Giving the Booth the name of the hospital, Brennan said, "It isn't necessary to come to the hospital, Booth. I'm not planning on staying."

Angry, Booth said, "You stay right there. I'm on my way."

Ending the call, Booth started cursing. Letting Charlie know where he was going, Booth half jogged, half ran to his car.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at the hospital, Booth parked near the emergency room and ran in. Seeing Angela in the waiting room, Booth walked over to her and asked where Brennan was.

"Booth, she really is ok," Angela said. "The doctor wanted to make sure she didn't have a fractured arm; so, he had an MRI done. He said everything looks fine. She just has a cut and some deep bruising on the upper part of her right arm. Brennan told the doctor you were on the way, so he just wanted her to stay in the room until you arrived. He said she can go home. I was just waiting out here for you to show up. I can take you to her, if you want me to."

Seeing the exasperation on Booth's face, Angela smiled and said, "Of course, you do."

Walking towards the double doors, Angela told Booth to follow her.

His heart racing, Booth followed Angela. Arriving at the small room where Brennan was, Booth took a deep breath and entered the room. Stopping, Booth saw Brennan sitting in the bed, frowning.

Seeing Booth, Brennan said, "I knew I shouldn't have called you. Now your unnecessarily upset."

Shaking his head, Booth walked over to Brennan and looked at her right arm more closely. She had a bandage on it where the skin had been cut and what looked like a very nasty bruise. Looking up, Booth caught Brennan staring at him.

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Are you ready to go home?"

Surprised at Booth's calm reaction, Brennan said, "Yes, of course."

Taking Brennan's left hand in his, Booth helped her from the bed. Looking at Angela, Booth asked, "Has the paper work been taken care of yet?"

Nodding her head, Angela said, "Yes. The doctor said Brennan could leave as soon as you came to get her."

Nodding his head, Booth turned to Brennan and asked, "You want to be wheeled out?"

Shaking her head, Brennan looked closely at Booth and said, "No, of course not."

Nodding his head again, Booth said, "You walk to the entrance with Angela and I'll go get my truck." Turning around, Booth walked out of the room and went to get his truck.

Turning to Brennan, Angela said, "Wow, he is really angry."

Frowning, Brennan asked, "Angry? I've never seen him so calm. I thought for sure he would be very upset; but, he seems to be taking this very calmly."

Shaking her head, Angela said, "Yeah, as calmly as a volcano getting ready to erupt."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had driven the truck around to the Emergency entrance and parked in the loading/unloading zone. Getting out, Booth helped Brennan get into his truck. Angela got into the back seat and watched Booth walk around the truck and get back in.

The trip back to the Jeffersonian was done in total silence. Booth seemed to drive like he was carrying eggs instead of driving like he usually did. If Brennan needed proof that Booth really was angry, then the silence seemed to confirm it for her. She thought that Booth must really be angry if he wouldn't even talk to her.

Arriving at the Jeffersonian, Angela got out of the truck. As soon as Angela closed the door, Booth drove off towards their apartment. Not knowing what to say, Brennan decided to remain silent.

Arriving back at their apartment, Booth parked the truck in front of the building and walked around the truck to the passenger side. Opening the door, Booth helped Brennan get out of the truck. Looking at her, Booth said, "I'll walk you up to the apartment; but, I can't stay. I have an interview with a suspect in that armored car hiest in about an hour. I'll pick up Parker when he gets out of school too, so don't worry about it."

Nodding, Brennan said, "Booth, you aren't really angry are you? Angela says you are."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "No, Bones. I'm not angry."

The truth be told, Booth really wasn't angry at Brennan. When he had seen her in the hospital room, Booth had realized that being angry with Brennan would be like being angry at rain for being wet. "She is who she is. She protects the ones she loves." Booth thought. "Now on the other hand, the guy that attacked her had better never get within my reach."

Oooooooooooooooooo

What do you think of my story so far?


	8. Chapter 8

I want to thank you for the wonderful reviews. They were very nice.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

That afternoon, Angela had sent over pictures of the reconstructed faces of the barrel victims. Booth had Charlie and Shaw use them to go through missing persons reports and see if they could find a match.

They had also caught a break with the head in the snake case. It turns out that one of zoo employees had reported his wife missing the day after the storm. Agent Shaw had obtained a copy of the wife's dental records and had sent them over to the Jeffersonian. They had come back a match to the head in the snake.

A FBI agent was sent out the to employees house and she had been told by a neighbor that Brian Smithers was at his mother's house. Getting the directions, the agent had driven over to Brian's mother's house and talked to Brian.

Brian had admitted to the agent that he and his wife had got into a fight after they had both been drinking all evening. His wife fell down while they were slapping each other and hit her head on the coffee table. She had died while Brian had held her in his arms. Brian Smithers had panicked because he had a criminal record for assault and he didn't want to risk going to jail. He knew most bodies could be identified by using the head and the hands; so, he cut off his wife's head and hands and took them to the zoo and fed them to the snake. He took the rest of the body out to a National forest and built a funeral pyre. He burned the body of his wife and then went home. He had thought that if someone found any bones of his wife, in the woods, they wouldn't be very helpful if the head and hands were missing. Brian had thought he could just report her missing to the police and then say he thought she may have run off with someone.

He had known that he had lost the game when Dr. Brennan showed up and did the necropsy on the snake. He had decided to go stay with his mother until someone showed up and arrested him. He didn't want the cops to shoot him over this little misunderstanding so he thought if he was with his mother, she would make sure that the arrest was done peacefully.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

At around 2:45 p.m., Booth drove over to Parker's school to get him. After Parker got in the truck, Booth drove to the apartment to drop off Parker. The trip started out in silence.

Worried Parker asked, "Did I do something wrong, Dad?"

Frowning, Booth glanced at Parker and saw that his son had a worried look on his face. Shaking his head, Booth said, "No, Buddy. I'm just thinking about something, that's all."

Nodding his head, Parker looked at his father and said, "Can I help?"

Smiling, Booth said, "Thanks for the offer, Parks. It isn't anything you can help me with. How was school today?"

Smiling, Parker decided to tell his Dad about Mary Ann Webster pulling Jena Jones hair when Jena told Mary that she was stupid because she flunked the spelling test. Boy, Mary Ann and Jena hated each other and you could always count on them doing something dumb. After awhile, Parker realized that his Dad wasn't listening and he stopped talking.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

After Parker had arrived at his father's apartment and had put his backpack on the couch, he went into the kitchen to see if Pops had a snack for him. Walking into the kitchen, Parker found Pops and Brennan sitting at the kitchen table. Brennan was drinking a glass of wine and Pops was glaring at Brennan with his arms folded across his chest.

"Hi, Pops. Hi, Bones," Parker said. "Can I have a snack?"

Smiling, Brennan got up from the table and went to the fridge for some milk and an apple. Giving Parker the apple and a glass of milk, Brennan asked, "How was school today?"

Glancing at his great-grandfather and then back at Brennan, Parker said, "It was good."

Noticing the bandage on Brennan's right arm, Parker asked, "Is something wrong? What happened to your arm?"

Smiling, Brennan said, "Everything is fine. I just had a little accident this morning."

Standing up, Pops said, "Temperance is fine, Parker. Of course, she would be even better if she didn't try to play cops and robbers."

Frowning, Brennan said, "I wasn't playing, Hank."

Turning back to Parker, Brennan said, "Don't worry, Parker. I'm fine."

Nodding his head, Parker said, "Is your accident the reason why Dad's upset?"

Concerned, Brennan said, "Booth's upset?"

Nodding his head, Parker said, "He seemed upset to me."

Looking intently at Brennan, Hank said, "I told you."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

That evening when Booth arrived home, he found a very quiet apartment. Everyone was in their room and no one came out when he got there. Looking into their bedroom, Booth found Brennan lying on the bed. Thinking she was asleep, Booth started to close the door when he heard Brennan say, "Wait Booth. I'm awake."

Smiling, Booth opened the door wide again and walked into the room. Walking over to the bed, Booth sat down next to Brennan.

"How's your arm?" Booth asked.

Smiling back, Brennan said, "I'm fine. It's just a little sore." Looking intently at Booth, Brennan continued, "Booth, are you upset with me?"

Shaking his head, Booth said, "No. I'm just worried. I'm worried that you aren't considering the fact that your life has changed now and any trouble you get into will effect other people."

Frowning, Brennan said, "I don't know what you mean."

Looking at the floor, Booth said, "You're a very courageous person, Bones. Maybe too courageous some times. You don't believe in letting anyone hurt your friends so you do things like you did today. The thing is Bones, what if the guy had pulled a gun on you? What if he had shot you? You didn't really know if the guy was carrying, you just assumed he wasn't. What if he had killed you? Do you think saving Angela's purse was worth risking making Christine an orphan or me a widower?"

"You wouldn't be called a widower, Booth, we aren't married." Brennan pointed out.

Angry, Booth got up from the bed and left the room.

Knowing that she had picked the wrong time to correct Booth, Brennan got up from the bed and followed Booth into the living room. He had walked over to the couch and sat down. Walking over to the couch, Brennan sat down next to Booth. Putting her hand on his knee, Brennan said, "You're right, I didn't know if he had a gun. I just reacted. I saw an unarmed man trying to take something that didn't belong to him. He looked in poor health and I was sure that I could stop him."

Not acknowledging what Brennan had said, Booth leaned back and closed his eyes.

Seeing that she needed to explain further, Brennan said, "I have a black belt in martial arts and I knew that I could stop him from doing what he was trying to do. If he had pulled a gun on me then I would have stopped what I was doing and let him take Angela's purse. I don't see where I did anything wrong."

Not opening his eyes, Booth said, "And that's the problem, Bones. A purse isn't worth fighting for or risking getting yourself killed for. You have to pick your fights more wisely than that, especially since you have a baby now."

Frowning, Brennan said, " Just because I gave birth doesn't make me helpless, Booth. I can still take care of myself."

Not saying anything, Booth folded his arms across his chest. "Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall," Booth thought.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Interesting?


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews. They let me know someone is still reading my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, Booth got up early to make pancakes with Parker. It was Saturday and he had promised Parker that they would make chocolate chip pancakes. He had to go into work for a few hours; but, he wanted to spend Saturday morning with his kids.

Walking into the kitchen, Brennan found Booth and Parker mixing pancake batter.

Smiling, Parker said, "Look Bones. Dad's showing me how to make his world famous chocolate chip pancakes."

Smiling back, Brennan said, "That's good, Parker. It's never too early to learn culinary skills."

Laughing, Parker poured some chocolate chips into the batter. His mother hated chocolate chip pancakes so the only time he got to eat them was when he was staying with his Dad and Brennan.

Looking at Brennan, Booth said, "Do you want some of these pancakes? I can make a different batter for you, if you want me to. Pops doesn't care either way."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "I'm just going to eat oatmeal."

Walking around the island, Brennan leaned against Booth and said, "I'm sorry about yesterday Booth. I've had time to think about what you said and I agree with you. Angela's purse wasn't worth getting hurt for. The next time, I will try to do a quick risk assessment before deciding my options. Of course, I may only have a few seconds; but, I'm sure that will be all the time that I'll need."

Staring at Brennan, Booth realized that Brennan really had thought about what they had talked about yesterday.

Smiling, Booth put his arms around Brennan's shoulders and said quietly into her right ear, "Thanks, Bones. That's all I was asking you to do."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Booth spent the morning watching cartoons with his kids and Pops. Booth knew that Brennan didn't think it was a good idea to expose their daughter to TV at such a young age; but, Booth pointed out that it was the only time he could just sit down with her and Parker and have family time. During the week, their schedule was pretty full and Christine was usually asleep when they got home from work.

Brennan had known what Saturday morning was going to be like, so, she started the laundry and went into her office to work on her latest novel. She didn't really plan to submit it for publication any time soon; but, she liked to work on it whenever she had an idea that she wanted to include in her book. Brennan had been working on her novel for about an hour when Parker came into her office. Walking over to where Brennan was sitting, Parker put his right arm around Brennan's shoulders and said, "Bones, why don't you watch cartoons?"

Smiling, Brennan said, "I don't really like them Parker. Them seem silly to me."

Nodding his head, Parker said, "That's why their good. Their supposed to be silly."

Taking his arm off of her shoulder, Parker took Brennan's left hand in his and said, "Thanks for letting me live with you, Bones. Dad said you told him that you wanted me to. I'm really happy that you said I could."

Her smile growing wider, Brennan put her arm around Parker and hugged him. "You're welcome Parker; but, it wasn't just my decision. Your mother asked your Dad if it would be alright and he talked to me about it. We all agreed that it would be very nice if you stayed with Booth and I more often. It wasn't just my decision."

Smiling, Parker said, "Yeah, but if you had told Dad no then it wouldn't have happened. I'm thanking you because I want you to know that I really appreciate it. You're great Bones and I love you."

"Thanks, Parker." Brennan said, "I love you too."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

After lunch, Booth drove over to the Hoover building to check on things and to see if Charlie or Shaw had found out who their barrel victims were. Walking into his office, Booth had found the results of his agents search on his desk. The male victim was Adam Decker of East Providence Township, Bedford County, Pa and the woman was Christy Clark of West Providence Township, Bedford County, Pa. Adam had been reported missing by his father, Joseph Decker and Christy had been reported missing by her parents, Bill and Kathy Clark. Adam and Christy had both been reported missing at around the same time, five and a half months ago. Charlie had also included in his report, the fact that Adam had a criminal record. He had been arrested and convicted of drug manufacturing and distribution when he was nineteen years old, along with his brother, Carl Decker. Adam had served eight years in prison and hadn't come to the attention of the police since being released. Christy didn't have any kind of record at all. She had never even received a traffic ticket. Both had worked at the Everett Area High School. Adam was employed as a maintenance man and Christy was a history teacher.

Shaking his head, Booth decided that a trip to Bedford County was needed. He would have to see if Brennan wanted to go with him or if he needed to take Sweets. Ever since Christine had been born, Brennan didn't like go out of town too much. She only went, if she felt that her expertise was really needed. Their nanny, Sue, lived in the guest bedroom and was more than willing to watch Christine while they were gone; but, Brennan didn't like to take advantage of Sue. Sue was going to college at night and really couldn't miss too many classes. Since he didn't have a crime scene yet, Booth was pretty sure Brennan would opt to stay at the Jeffersonian instead of coming with him.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had been right. Brennan decided that a trip to Bedford County wasn't warranted at this time. Her arm was still hurting her and she really didn't want to make a trip when she was that uncomfortable. Booth had told her he didn't mind and that he would take Sweets instead. He would have liked to take Agent Shaw; but, she was working with Agent Harris on another case.

Sweets and Agent Shaw had been Booth's backup for Brennan since late in Brennan's pregnancy. Sweets had been certified to carry a gun and he really enjoyed the fact that when he was with Booth, Booth treated him like he was his partner.

Booth had warned Sweets that they may have to stay in Bedford County for a few days. Booth booked two rooms at the Holiday Inn Express in Breezewood. Breezewood is in East Providence Township, where Adam Decker was from and only a few minutes from Everett Area High School which is in West Providence Township, which was where Christy Clark was from.

Ooooooooooooooo

Any reviews would be welcome and greatly appreciated. Thanks.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for the wonderful reviews and the alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooo

Arriving in Breezewood, Booth stopped at the hotel so that they could confirm their reservations and then drove over to the Bedford County Sheriff's office. The last thing Booth wanted to do was operate in Bedford County without notifying the Sheriff. He also needed to talk to the Sheriff and see if he had any information on Adam Decker and Christy Clark. Booth had brought copies of Brennan's reports and planned to share them with Sheriff Dunkle. Booth had found out a long time ago that it was easier to work with the local law if he treated them like partners and not like underlings. He had seen other agents antagonize the local law and it always made the case harder to work on when they did that. Booth was only interested in solving the crimes and wasn't interested in throwing his weight around.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sheriff Dunkle was in his office when Booth and Sweets arrived. Asking to see the Sheriff, Booth and Sweets were told to wait in the lobby. Booth didn't mind. Walking over to a bench, Booth sat down and waited. Sweets thought it was a little insulting to be kept waiting; but, if Booth didn't care then Sweets really didn't have anything to complain about, at least not out loud.

Sweets decided to spend the time observing the deputies. He liked people watching so he always appreciated a new group of people to observe. He really liked to watch members of other law enforcement agencies. Some worked together really well and some seemed to get along like oil and water. Both cases were just so interesting to Sweets.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Booth was amused that the Sheriff waited fifteen minutes before he came out to see Booth. He was sure that the Sheriff was trying to show Booth that the Sheriff was the one in charge. Booth figured that Sheriff Dunkle had probably dealt with someone from the bureau in the past that had given the Sheriff a rough time.

Walking out to where Booth was, Sheriff Dunkle walked over to where Booth was sitting and introduced himself.

Smiling, Booth stood up and said, "I'm glad to meet you Sheriff Dunkle. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth." Pointing to Sweets, Booth introduced him to the Sheriff. "This here is Dr. Lance Sweets. He works as a profiler for the FBI. The bodies that were found in the barrels have been identified."

Impressed, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Wow, that was fast work. If you'll follow me, we can talk in my office."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Sure. I have a few things I'd like to go over with you about the victims."

Following the Sheriff, Booth and Sweets followed the man down the hallway to his office.

Arriving in his office, Sheriff Dunkle walked behind his desk and sat down. Booth sat in the chair across from the Sheriff and Sweets stood over near the door, observing.

Nodding at Booth, the sheriff asked, "Who were the folks in the barrels?"

"The two bodies have been identified as Adam Decker from East Providence Township and Christy Clark of West Providence Township," Booth said. "Both Adam Decker and Christy Clark were shot in the back of the head."

Growing a little pale, Sheriff Dunkle said, "My God. This going to just kill Christy's parents. She was an only child."

Nodding his head, Booth asked, "So you knew one of the victims?"

"Yes," the Sheriff said, "Christy was my cousin Bill Clarks' only child. We had all been sure that she had just run off with that no account, Adam Decker. Are you sure it's Christy?"

Nodding his head again, Booth said, "Yes. Christy and Adam Decker were both murdered."

Shaking his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Well. I guess I don't need to worry about Bill tracking down Adam and him beating the shit out of Adam now."

"Unless, your cousin killed Adam and his daughter already." Booth observed.

Shaking his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Don't be jumping to crazy conclusions, Agent Booth. Bill loved that child and never even spanked her when she was a kid. Sure, he was upset that she may have run off with Adam Decker; but, he sure as hell would never hurt her and he sure as hell wouldn't kill someone."

Staring at the Sheriff, Booth said, "But, he could beat the shit out of Adam Decker?"

"Man, there were a hell of a lot of people who would probably have liked to have seen Adam Decker just drop dead," the Sheriff said. "My cousin was just one of many that Adam caused no end of grief to; but, I can tell you this, I can't think of anyone who would actually kill Adam Decker let alone Christy Clark. Adam served his prison term a long time ago. The bus accident happened six years ago and Christy Clark wasn't some teenager that her father was trying to protect. I can't see a real motive for killing Adam or Christy."

"Bus accident?" Booth asked.

Deciding that Booth needed to see the whole picture, Sheriff Dunkle told Booth and Sweets the story of Adam Decker.

"Adam Decker served time for Meth dealing; but, he kept his nose pretty clean when he got out of prison. He was nineteen years old when he went into prison and he was twenty seven years old when he got out. He got a job at the high school as a maintenance man and seemed to keep to himself. He did his job and never complained. One day, about two years after he got out of prison, Adam was driving from home to work when a deer jumped out onto the road and right in front of his motorcycle. Panicking, Adam swerved to avoid the deer and ran his motorcycle over to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, there had been a "special needs" bus coming down the other side of the road and that driver panicked also. The driver of the bus, Bill Sparks, swerved and hit a tree on that side of the road. Adam had lost control of his bike and ended up laying it on the road, sliding for several yards before the bike finally came to rest, trapping Adam partly under it."

"The deputies that arrived on the scene found Bill Sparks dead and two of the four kids in the bus badly injured. One of the kids ended up in the hospital for a month. Adam also ended up in the hospital for about a month with compound fractures of both of his legs along with several broken ribs and a serious case of road burn on the back of his legs and his back."

"There was a lot of hard feelings about the accident and the brother of Bill Sparks, Tom Sparks, tried his best to get Adam arrested for manslaughter. Tom didn't buy the deer story. That case never made it anywhere though, because a woman driving behind Adam had seen the whole thing and testified that the whole mess had been an accident. A lot of pressure had been put on Tina Myers, by Tom Sparks, to change her story; but, she stuck to it, so Adam was just ticketed for "failure to maintain control". The parents of the special needs kids made a lot of threats against Adam. They were real upset and didn't think he should have just been charged with a misdemeanor. Tom Sparks made a lot of threats against Adam too. Adam wasn't very popular because of his prison record and the accident just emphasized that he wasn't welcome in Bedford County."

"Adam was a stubborn man," Sheriff Dunkle said. "He wasn't going to let anyone make him leave Bedford County and that was that. He didn't have very many friends, that's for sure. I think Christy was the only one who talked to Adam at the High School. She started teaching at the high school a couple of years ago. She was really nice and she always thought the best of everyone. Christy's father tried to talk her into leaving Adam Decker alone; but, you know how that is. You tell your kids not to see someone and that just makes them more interested. Christy was 28 years old and the last thing she wanted was to hear her father dictate who she could see or could not see, socially."

Booth listened to the story the Sheriff had to tell him. All in all, it gave him a few leads and he appreciated the candidness of the Sheriff.

"I can see where Adam may have been unpopular; but, do you know of anyone who may have wanted to harm Christy Clark?" Booth asked. "Is it possible that someone killed Adam and Christy because she was involved with Adam Decker or because Adam Decker was involved with Christy?"

Shaking his head, "I don't know Agent Booth. I mean, Adam Decker wasn't a bad man. Not really. He served his time and stayed out of trouble. The motorcycle accident wasn't his fault, not really. Hell, I've had a few close calls myself with deer. They can be real pests during rutting season. We have motorists killed every year in this part of the state because of deer in the road. I didn't care for Adam; but, that was just because of his brother. I figured that Adam's brother had too much influence over Adam and sooner or later Adam would go back into the drug trade. It's possible that Adam did get back into drug dealing and he and Christy were killed because of it. I don't know; but, I do know that Christy would never have anything to do with drugs. She hated what Meth did to people. She had a second cousin who died using the damn stuff. She wouldn't have dated Adam if she thought he was a drug dealer. I'm pretty sure that what ever happened to them wasn't because of drugs, only because I know and trust Christy's character. Do you understand Agent Booth?"

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yes, I'm sure I do. Did Christy have an ex boyfriend that may have resented her friendship with Adam?"

Shaking his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "No. She wasn't much for dating. She was a regular homebody. Until she started dating Adam Decker, she spent a lot of time working at the school, volunteering for school projects and working on her hobbies."

Curious, Booth said, "What kind of hobbies did Christy have?"

Smiling, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Christy was a genealogist and an amateur historian. She was writing a book on some of the early families that settled in Bedford County. She hoped to publish it next year. She was a member of several historical societies in the area and she sure could talk your ears off when it came to the early years of Bedford County."

"Alright," Booth said, "if you don't mind, I would like to talk to Tom Sparks and I'd like the names of the parents of the children that were hurt in the traffic accident. I'd also like to talk to Carl Decker and the parents of Adam Decker and Christy Clark."

"If you'd like, I can go with you on your interviews, Agent Booth," Sheriff Dunkle said. "It might make your interviews easier."

Smiling, Booth said, "Thanks, Sheriff. I'd appreciate that."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Still interested in my crime?


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks for the reviews. They are so encouraging.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had just finished unloading the dishwasher when she heard a knock on the door to the apartment. Opening the door, Brennan found her father standing in the hallway.

"Dad, what are you doing here?", Brennan asked.

Leaning towards Brennan, Max kissed his daughter on the cheek and said, "I came to visit. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Smiling, Brennan stepped aside and said, "Of course. Won't you come in Dad?"

Walking into the apartment, Max looked around and said, "I went by the Jeffersonian this afternoon to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me but Cam said you had taken a vacation day. I decided to come and see what you've been up to today and see if you wanted my company."

Smiling, Brennan said, "I just wanted to do a few things that I haven't had time to do lately. You're welcome to stay if you want to."

Nodding his head, Max said, "So, where's that beautiful grandkid of mine?"

"She's with Hank in the den. Hank is watching a hockey game and wanted to explain the rules of how to play hockey to her. Do you want to see her?"

Nodding his head, Max said, "I sure would. I have a present for her."

Raising up his left hand, Max showed Brennan that he was carrying a bag with something a little bulky inside.

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "Dad, I thought I told you to quit buying presents for Christine. It's not necessary to bring her a present every time you come to see her. She has too many possessions for someone so young as it is. Besides, Booth says that you keep buying the things he wants to buy Christine. He says you're spoiling his fun."

Shaking his head, Max said, "Come on Honey. I can't help it if Booth is turning this into a competition. I see something in a store and I buy it. I'm impulsive. It's who I am."

Winking at Brennan, Max walked through the living room to the den. Seeing Hank sitting on the couch watching a hockey game with Christine in his arms, Max walked over to the couch and sat down next to Hank, putting his bag on the floor next to his legs.

"Heah, Hank. Mind if I hold my granddaughter?", Max asked.

Smiling Hank looked at Max and said, "Sure, you can hold my great-granddaughter. She's sleeping though so try not to wake her up. The hockey game turned out to be a one-sided game and she got bored."

Taking Christine in his arms, Max thought, "Well I can see where Booth gets his bossiness from."

Looking at Christine, Max said to Hank, "So how's it going Hank? Where's Booth?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Hank said, "I'm alright. As for Seeley, he had to go out of town on a case. He took that kid, Sweets with him."

Hearing what Hank said as she walked into the room, Brennan said, "You know that Doctor Sweets is not a kid Hank. You know he hates it when you call him that."

Shaking his head, Hank said, "Look Temperance, if I consider my grandson a kid then Sweets is a baby as far as I'm concerned. I just make him sound older so Seeley won't fuss about it."

Turning back to Max, Hank asked, "What's in the bag? I hope you didn't buy Christine another present. Seeley is getting very aggravated about that."

Smiling, Max said, "Ah, Booth is always aggravated about something. It's who he is. I've decided to stop buying Christine presents for awhile. I'm going to save my money and buy her a horse for her sixth birthday, instead."

Shocked, Hank said, "A horse? Are you nuts. Seeley and Temperance live in an apartment. What are they supposed to do with a horse?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Max said, "It won't be a problem. I have a friend that owns a farm in Maryland and she said we can keep the horse there when I buy it. I just have to pay for the feed and vet bills and she'll take care of it along with her other two horses."

"Dad, I don't think it's a good idea for you to buy a horse for Christine. Six is too young of an age to be responsible for a horse."

Smiling, Max said, "That's the beauty of it. She won't have to be. My girlfriend, Nancy, will take care of it. All Christine has to do is pet the horse and sit on it once in a while."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "Dad, I don't want you to buy Christine a horse. It isn't right to give a child an expensive present that like. Booth won't like it and neither will I."

Sighing, Max said, "Spoil sport."

Looking down at Christine, Max said, "Well Christine, when you ask where your pony is I'll just have to say that Mommy and Daddy are killjoys and that's that."

Aggravated, Brennan walked over to the couch, bent down an picked up Max's bag. Opening it, Brennan pulled out a blue and white checked bear.

Not amused, Brennan held the toy up by a leg and said, "Dad, I don't want my child playing with stuffed bears, lions, tigers and any other animal that is considered dangerous in the real world. It will give her the false impression that these animals are safe to be around when they're not. Also, bears are not blue and white checked. That is so wrong."

Laughing, Hank stood up and walked out of the room. "Wait until I tell Seeley about this. He'll laugh his ass off."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Poor Max. Blue and White checked bears are a big no-no in the Brennan/Booth household.


	12. Chapter 12

I still don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Sheriff Dunkle drove his sheriff's car when he went on Booth's interviews just in case he was called out to something. He played lead car with Booth following behind. It had been decided that the parents of the victims would be interviewed first so that death notifications could be done first. Sheriff Dunkle, being the good cousin that he is, went to Bill Clark's house first. Upon arriving at the house, the Sheriff asked that Booth wait in his truck until he had the chance to let Bill and Kathy know that their daughter had been found. Booth had agreed, thankful that he wouldn't have to do the notification.

The Sheriff had walked up to the front door of the house and knocked. He had been standing at the door for about a minute when a woman came to the door and greeted Sheriff Dunkle. Watching, Booth saw the Sheriff take off his hat and look down. The Sheriff said something and the woman stood aside and let the Sheriff into the house. Sheriff Dunkle was in the house for ten minutes before he came back to the door and motioned for Booth to come.

Getting out of the truck, Booth looked around the yard and saw a very neat place. The house was well kept and the yard was very inviting. There was a weeping willow tree over near a creek that was running in front of the house. They had crossed the creek on a small one lane bridge when they had driven up to the house. Booth thought that some day he would like to have a place like this. Apartments were ok; but, he would really like to own a place with a big back and front yard for his daughter to play in.

Walking up to the door, Booth and Sweets saw the Sheriff had a very sad look on his face. They all knew that death notifications had to be the worse part of the job; but, to have to tell a relative that a loved one is dead had to be the absolute worse.

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Ok, I told them. I let them know that you wanted to interview them about Christy. Bill said that now is as good a time as ever."

Walking into the living room, Booth saw Bill and Kathy Clark sitting on the couch. Kathy was weeping and Bill was holding his wife's hand, looking dazed and very troubled.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Clark." Booth said, "My name is Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my associate, Dr. Lance Sweets. I want you to know, we're going to try to do everything that we can to find out what happened to Christy."

Nodding, Bill said, "Thanks Agent Booth. I know what happened. Christy took up with that Adam Decker and it got her killed. I tried to tell her that it was a mistake to see Adam; but, she told me that Adam had changed and he wasn't the man he was when he was nineteen. I told my little girl that leopards can't change their spots; but, she just knew I was wrong about Adam."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Do you know if Adam was doing anything illegal? Did you see anything that would make you suspicious?"

Shaking his head, Bill said, "Nope. Christy didn't bring Adam around here. She knew I didn't like Adam so she wanted to keep the peace. I never saw anything that looked like Adam was doing anything illegal; but, he was a convicted drug dealer. I didn't trust him. Now I know why."

"Did Adam have any enemies? Did he have any problems with anyone that you knew of?" Booth asked.

Shaking his head, Bill said, "Actually, no. Adam seemed to be a loner and besides Tom Sparks and Jesse Winters; I don't think I ever heard anyone say anything, good or bad, about Adam one way or the other. Tom and Jesse hated Adam because of the bus accident; but, as far as I know, I never heard anyone else threaten Adam. I don't think Tom or Jesse had anything to do with this. They both liked Christy and would never have hurt her. This has to be about something else. I'd look at that brother of his, if I were you. Carl is a bad one and Christy said that Carl was always trying to get Adam to try some new schemes he was working on. Adam told Christy that Carl drove him crazy with the stupid things he wanted to do to make money."

Nodding his head, Booth asked, "Did Christy have any problems with anyone? Did she have any arguments with anyone.? Did anyone seem upset with her before she disappeared?"

Shaking his head, Bill said, "Nope. Christy was a quiet girl. She never got into fights with anyone. She had her hobbies and she loved her job. She was dating Adam and that's about it. She didn't have a lot of friends because she was bashful; but, she did have a lot of people she was in contact with because of her hobbies."

Getting a far away look in his face, Bill said, "You should have seen her when she talked about the early settlers of Bedford County. She was just so happy and so enthusiastic. It just made you smile when she was going on and on about the early families. She sure loved her hobbies. I guess her book won't be published now. That's a shame too. She really wanted to publish her work on the early families."

"Maybe you could turn her research over to someone else and have them publish it for her," Sweets said to Bill.

Nodding his head, Bill said, "Yeah. Maybe. I'll look into it. That might be a good idea."

Seeing that he probably wasn't going to get anything else from Bill Clark, Booth said, "Again, I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Clark. I want to thank you for talking to us. We'll see ourselves out."

Nodding Bill Clark turned to his wife and leaned his head against hers. Sharing her pain, Bill started to cry.

Sheriff Dunkle, seeing that his cousins needed to be alone, left with Booth and Sweets.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Standing out in the yard, Sheriff Dunkle said, "I want to thank you for going easy on Bill. You handled that just right. Do you want to go see Joseph Decker now?"

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Thanks, Sheriff. Lead the way and I'll follow."

Nodding his head, the Sheriff got into his car and waited for Booth and Sweets to get into the truck. Seeing that Booth was ready, the Sheriff drove across the bridge and headed east to the Decker home. The Sheriff wasn't looking forward to the next interview. Not at all.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

I really would appreciate some reviews. Thanks.


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for all of the alerts and reviews. They're great.

I don't own Bones.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Joseph Decker had a small farm over near Goldmine Road, above Breezewood. Joseph Decker raised cattle, pigs and some cereal crops. He wasn't wealthy; but, he paid his bills and his family never suffered from the "I wants". That's why Sheriff Dunkle never understood what happened to Carl and Adam Decker. Joseph Decker was a widower with four kids. His daughter, Karen helped him run the farm and his daughter Twyla was married and living in Altoona. Carl had gone into prison with a bad temper and come out with a worse one. He lived in a trailer on the farm somewhere. The sheriff knew it was over in the woods somewhere behind the barn.

Arriving at the Decker farm, Sheriff Dunkle pulled up in front of the house and got out of his car. Leaning against the hood of his car, he waited for Booth to park his truck and then get out, with Sweets, and come over to where he stood.

Shaking his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "This is not going to be an easy interview. Joseph Decker has been accusing my deputies of dragging their feet since his boy came up missing. He's not going to take the announcement of his son's death very well."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "You want me to tell him about his son?"

Shaking his head again, Sheriff Dunkle said, "No, Joseph is my responsibility, not yours. I was elected to do the hard stuff; so, I guess I better do it. Wait here and I'll go tell him Adam is dead. I'll call you over when I'm done."

Walking up the pathway to the house, the Sheriff stopped and looked back at Booth and then turned back up the pathway.

"There's someone who really doesn't want to do his job right now." Sweets said. "I feel sorry for him."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "It's all part of the job, Sweets. As much as we all hate to do death notifications it never gets easier and that's the God's truth."

Grimacing, Sweets said, "I hope not. I sure would hate for someone to tell me about a loved ones death and then realize that the person doing the notification doesn't care a fig about what he's saying."

Watching the Sheriff, Booth saw Sheriff Dunkle climb the stairs to the porch, stop at the front door of the house and knock on it. Not getting an answer, the Sheriff knocked again. Waiting for a few minutes, the Sheriff turned around and walked back to where Booth and Sweets were standing.

"Maybe we should try the barn," Sheriff Dunkle said.

Nodding, Booth turned around and walked towards the barn, Sweets and the Sheriff following behind. Looking around, Booth spotted a man working on a tractor across the field from the barn. Changing direction, Booth pointed and he and his group walked over to the tractor. As soon as he got within four feet of the tractor, Sheriff Dunkle called out to the man.

"Hey, Joseph. I need to talk to you." Sheriff Dunkle said.

Turning around, Joseph saw the Sheriff and his companions and scowled. "What do you want?"

Frowning, Sheriff Dunkle said, "I have some bad news for you, Joseph. Your boy Adam has been found. There isn't an easy way to say it so I'm just going to just tell you, Adam is dead. His body was found a few days ago. The FBI is looking into the case."

Turning pale, Joseph leaned over and started to throw up. Booth had seen that reaction before and had been prepared for it, standing about six feet from the bereaved. "You just never know how someone will react." Booth thought. "I hate it when they throw up though. It makes me feel like upchucking myself."

Sweets, having a weak stomach, when it came to stuff like that, looked away and swallowed a lot.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

After a few minutes, Joseph Decker straightened up, wiped his mouth with his right hand and looked at the Sheriff. Scowling, Joseph said, "How did he die?"

"He was shot," Sheriff Dunkle said. "He and Christy Clark's bodies were found in the Juniata River, in barrels." Pointing towards Booth, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Agent Booth would like to ask you some questions."

Sighing, Joseph walked away from his tractor and stopped when he got to an old bench standing next to the barn. Sitting down on the bench, Joseph put his head in his hands.

Walking over to where Joseph Decker was sitting, Booth stopped and stood about three feet from Joseph.

"I'm sorry for your loss Mr. Decker." Booth said. "I know this is very hard for you. I need to ask you a few questions so that I can see if I can find who did this to your son. Do you know if Adam was in trouble before he disappeared? Did he have someone after him about anything? Was Adam fighting with anyone?"

Not looking up, Joseph Decker said to the ground, "Adam was a good man, Agent Booth. He made some bad decisions when he was young; but, he paid for those mistakes. He's been walking the straight and narrow since he got out of prison. The only ones that I can think of that had a problem with Adam was Tom Sparks and Jesse Winters. Adam was in an accident a few years ago and Tom's brother was killed and Jesse's son was hurt pretty badly. They both blamed Adam."

Looking up at Booth, Joseph continued, "They may be jerks; but, I don't think they would kill my boy. Not after all of these years and they sure as hell wouldn't have killed Christy. Christy was an angel and everyone that knew her, loved her. I don't know who did this; but, you might want to talk to my boy, Carl. I hate to say it; but, Carl is always scheming and maybe he did something to cause this."

Standing up, Joseph looked at the Sheriff and shook his head. Putting his hands in his pants pockets, Joseph walked away from the law and up towards his house. Climbing the stairs to his porch, Joseph stopped at the top and turned back around. Calling out, Joseph said, "Don't call Twyla about this Sheriff. I'll drive over to Altoona in a little bit and tell her about her brother. I have to wait until Karen comes back home first."

Pointing towards the woods to the right of the barn, Joseph continued, "If you follow the dirt road to the right of the barn, it will take you to Carl's trailer. He's home." Turning around, Joseph opened the door to his house and walked inside, closing the door firmly behind him.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think of my story so far.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks for the reviews and all of the alerts. I appreciate the "Favorite" alerts for "Casualties of War" too.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking around the barn, Booth, the Sheriff and Sweets walked down the dirt road, through some woods and into a small clearing. A single wide trailer was sitting in the middle of the clearing. It was an old trailer; but, it seemed to be in good repair. A green, F150 pickup was parked next to the trailer.

Looking around, Booth walked over to the steps leading up to the door, climbed half way up, leaned towards the door and knocked. He then backed down the steps and stood with the group waiting to see if Carl would come to the door. After a couple of minutes had passed, the trailer door opened. Standing in the doorway, Carl saw the Sheriff and what looked like to him, Feds. Putting his hands into his pockets, Carl walked down the stairs.

Looking at the group, Carl faced the Sheriff and asked, "What's up, Sheriff?"

Watching Carl for his reaction, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Bad news, Carl. We've found your brother. He's dead."

Turning pale, Carl took his hands out of his pockets and put them on his hips. "What did you say?"

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "His body, along with Christy Clark's body, was found a few days ago. The FBI are looking into their murders." Pointing at Booth, the Sheriff continued, "This is Special Agent Booth. He'd like to talk to you about Adam."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Decker." Booth said, "Do you know why Adam and his girlfriend, Christy Clark may have been murdered? Was Adam in trouble with anyone? Do you know if anyone had threatened him or her before they disappeared?"

Sighing, Carl said, "Are you sure they were murdered, Agent Booth? I mean, I don't know why anyone would kill those two. They were harmless."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "They were definitely murdered, Mr. Decker. Their bodies were placed in barrels and the barrels were sealed. I don't know where the barrels have been; but, they showed up a few days ago, floating in the Juniata River. You don't know of any threats that were made against your brother or Christy Clark?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Carl said, "The only threats that Adam ever got and I knew about were from Tom Sparks and Jesse Winters; but, that was a long time ago. I'd think if they were going to kill Adam then they would have done it years ago, not now."

Pausing, Carl said, "You know, did you know that Christy was working on a book on the early families of Bedford County?"

Puzzled, Booth said, "Yes, her father told us. Do you think that's significant?"

Nodding his head, Carl said, "I sure do. Christy found some old documents in a bible that belonged to Mavis Ford. Mavis gave the bible to Christy for her research. Mavis's son, Woodrow, found out about it and was making a lot of noise about it. Adam told me, just before he disappeared, that Woody tracked him and her down one day at Fort Bedford and made all kinds of threats if Christy didn't hand the bible and any documents she found in it back to Woody. Adam said that Woody scared the hell out of Christy."

Frowning, Booth asked, "Do you know what the documents were that Woody Ford was so upset about?"

Nodding, Carl looked at the Sheriff and back at Booth, "Sure, Adam said the documents have to do with the land controversy over in Hopewell Township. The one between the Samuel Ford descendants and the Thomas Ford descendants."

Looking at Carl and then the Sheriff, Booth asked, "Is this land controversy important?"

Laughing, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Maybe not important to outsiders; but, very important in this county. When Martin Ford died, he had two sons by two different wives. Martin left a will leaving everything to his first son, Samuel Ford. The second son, Thomas Ford swore that his father had written a new will, splitting up everything between the two brothers. Since the second will was never found, Samuel Ford inherited a hell of a lot of land and Thomas Ford didn't get squat. Those families have been feuding ever since."

Frowning, Booth asked, "Would these documents be worth killing over?"

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "You bet. We're talking about a hell of a lot of land. If the will showed up now, I can imagine there would be a hell of a lawsuit put against the descendants of Samuel Ford. It would be a huge mess and would probably create a hell of a lot of trouble for the descendants of Samuel Ford and believe me, the Thomas Ford descendants would like nothing better than to cause trouble for their distant cousins. They really hate each other."

"Enough to kill for?" Sweets asked.

Nodding his head, Carl said, "You bet your ass."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Meeting back at their vehicles, Booth said, "It's getting late, Sheriff. Can we meet again tomorrow and go see this Woody Ford? I think we should really talk to him."

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Sure. I'll meet you at my office tomorrow at 9 a.m. We'll go over to Woody Ford's place of work from there."

Walking over to his car, Sheriff Dunkle got into his car and started up the engine. Sighing, the Sheriff thought, "Dam it, why now?" Putting his car in gear, he drove off, leaving Booth and Sweets standing next to Booth's truck.

Watching the Sheriff leave, Sweets said, "He looked very unhappy walking back to his car."

Nodding his head, Booth said, " I would be too, if I was the Sheriff around here. If that document really exists and comes to light then the shit is going to hit the fan and Sheriff Dunkle is not going to be able to avoid getting hit by some of it."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

That evening, Booth called home from his hotel room. Smiling when he heard Brennan's voice on the line, Booth said, "Heah, Bones. How was your day? How's your arm?"

Smiling, Brennan said, "Don't worry Booth, the bruises on my arm are not quite as painful as they have been. My day went very well. I took a vacation day and stayed home to take care of some things I wanted to do around the apartment. Dad came over for a visit and stayed most of the afternoon. He just left a few minutes ago."

"Max didn't buy Christine anything, did he?" Booth asked.

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "I told Dad that he needed to stop bringing presents to Christine every time he comes over for a visit. He said he will try to refrain from overindulging. He says he's impulsive so he doesn't know if he'll be able to completely comply with my wishes."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Forget about Max. Tell me, what are you wearing?"

Puzzled, Brennan said, "I have on a sweat shirt and running shorts. Why?"

Grinning, Booth said, "I plan to dream about you tonight and I wanted to know what your going to be wearing in my dream."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "I don't think that's how dreams work Booth."

Laughing, Booth said, "Oh they do in my dreams. Tonight, when I'm dreaming about you, you're going to be wearing a sweat shirt and a pair of sexy running shorts."

"I don't think my running shorts would be considered sexy, Booth. I'm wearing the ones that I spilled bleach on."

Sighing, Booth said, "Work with me Bones. Don't destroy a beautiful dream before I even have it."

Laughing, Brennan said, "Well in that case, I lied to you. I'm wearing the running shorts that you said are too short for me to wear in public."

Smiling, Booth said, "That's my girl." Thinking about it further, Booth asked, "Uh, Bones, you aren't really wearing those shorts are you? I mean, you promised me that you would only wear those to sleep in."

Smiling, Brennan said, "You'll never know."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

I sure would appreciate a few reviews. Thanks.


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for the lovely reviews and alerts.

I definitely don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooo

That night, Brennan had a nightmare. It wasn't her usual nightmare about the Gravedigger. This one was a new one.

In her dream, she saw Booth driving on a narrow mountain road. He wasn't wearing his seat belt, which wasn't unusual for him. He was talking to Sweets, who was sitting next to him and Booth was only remotely paying attention to the road. Suddenly, a car came around a curve on the road in front of Booth and because the road was so narrow, Booth jerked his truck to the side, causing the wheels on the right side of his truck to go over the edge of the road. To Brennan's horror, Brennan saw the truck topple off of the road and roll down the mountain side. In her dream, Brennan screamed.

Waking up, Brennan felt her heart pounding in her chest. Looking over at her nightstand, she saw that it was only 5:23 a.m. It was too early to call Booth. She needed to call Booth and yet she knew it was ridiculous to need to do that. "It was just a nightmare," Brennan thought. "I'm merely experiencing separation anxiety because Booth went on a case without me. He's done it before. I'm being foolish. I will not call Booth at 5:23 in the morning just because I had a nightmare."

Realizing that she had just used the phrase "separation anxiety" in her thoughts, Brennan became very angry with herself.

At 5:26, Brennan gave up and called Booth. Listening to the phone ring, Brennan felt foolish; but not foolish enough to hang up. Eventually Brennan heard the sleepy voice she so desperately wanted to hear, "Booth".

Still feeling upset, Brennan said, "Booth. I'm sorry I woke you. I know I shouldn't have; but, I felt that I must."

Instantly awake, Booth said, "What's wrong, Bones? Is everyone ok?"

Seeing that she was causing Booth anxiety, Brennan said, "Everyone is fine, Booth. I'm sorry I woke you. This is going to sound foolish; but, I needed to call you because of a nightmare I had. I tried not to call you, I really did; but, apparently I don't have a lot of self control at 5:26 in the morning."

Relieved, Booth said, "Was it that Gravedigger nightmare or the one where you can't find anyone no matter where you look?"

Still feeling foolish, Brennan said, "No, this was a new one. I dreamed that you were driving on a mountain road and your truck went over the side and it rolled down to the valley below. You weren't wearing your seat belt, Booth. You weren't watching the road like you should have been."

Not sure what was going on, Booth asked, "Are you worried that I'm going to get into an accident in Pennsylvania, Bones? I promise you, when I'm driving around mountain roads I always buckle up. These roads scare the hell out of me. I'm a flat lander just like you. You don't need to worry about me. I'm being very careful driving around here. I've been wearing my seatbelt since I drove across the Pennsylvania border."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "It was just a nightmare, Booth. I needed to talk to you about it, that's all. I trust that you'll be careful while driving in the mountains. I just don't have any control of my dreams and I felt a moment of anxiety about your safety. I had an overwhelming urge to hear your voice, that's all."

Smiling, Booth said, "I love you too, Bones. I wish you had come with me on this case. You would have found it very interesting. The Sheriff is a nice guy and he's been a big help so far. You should have seen the house that the Clark's live in. I took a picture of it. I'll show it to you when I get home. It looks just like the house I would like us to own some day. It has a big back yard and a very big front yard. There's a creek running"

Smiling, Brennan said, "Booth, you don't have to stay on the phone and talk to me. Now that I've spoken to you, my heart has started to beat normally again. Go back to sleep. I don't want you to be too sleepy driving on those mountain roads."

Laughing, Booth said, "Alright. Good night, Honey. If you need to call me again, then you do it. I love to hear the sound of your voice. Bye."

Ending the call, Booth put the phone on the nightstand, closed his eyes and promptly went back to sleep.

Brennan, putting her phone on the nightstand next to her clock and smiled. "It may have been foolish to call Booth; but, I don't care."

Rolling onto her stomach, Brennan went back to sleep. This time she dreamed about big front yards and Christine and Booth sitting on a blanket. Booth was marching a stuffed bunny around the blanket and both Booth and Christine were laughing. They looked so happy.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Ok, some of my chapters will be short after all. Let me know what you think of my story so far. I would appreciate it. Thanks.


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own Bones.

oooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, Booth and Sweets drove over to the Sheriff's office and waited for the Sheriff to come in. Sheriff Dunkle had a bad night and was running a little late. A pile up in Breezewood took hours to clear up and the Sheriff and his deputies didn't get to leave the scene of the accident until a little after four that morning. The Sheriff rolled into the parking lot at 9:30 a.m., knowing that Booth and Sweets would be waiting for him.

Driving into the parking lot, Sheriff Dunkle drove over next to Booth's truck and got out of his car. Walking around Booth's truck, the Sheriff walked over to Booth's driver's side and motioned for Booth to roll down his window.

"Sorry I'm running late, Agent Booth. There was a bad pile up in Breezewood, early this morning and I didn't get away from that until late."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yeah, I saw the mess from my hotel room window. Was anyone hurt?"

Grimacing, the Sheriff said, "Unfortunately, the driver of the car that got squashed by the semi died. The rest of his family were seriously hurt. The wreck itself wouldn't have been so bad; but, some idiot in another semi wasn't paying attention and rammed into the semi that ran over the car. The second semi jackknifed and the situation went from bad to worse. It took quite awhile to get the victims out of the car"

Frowning, Booth said, "I'm sorry to hear that, Sheriff. I can understand why you're running late. Thanks for coming in when you did."

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "No problem. Just let me check in with my people, grab a cup of coffee and I'll be ready to go."

Watching the Sheriff walk away, Sweets said, "I'd hate to have his job. Breezewood seems like a nightmare to me when it comes to traffic. I bet they have wrecks all of the time."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

The Sheriff didn't waste any time and was on the road in less than twenty minutes. Making sure that Booth was behind him, Sheriff Dunkle drove out to Woody Ford's Auto Shop in Hopewell Township. Woody lived across the street from his shop and next door to his mother, Mavis Ford.

Arriving at the shop, Sheriff Dunkle got out of his car and waited for Booth to park his truck next to his car. Getting out of his truck, Booth saw that the auto shop seemed to being doing pretty well. There were two bays with cars in them and ten cars parked in the lot next to the shop waiting to be worked on.

Pointing to the office on the side of the building, the Sheriff walked towards the office, Booth and Dr. Sweets following behind.

Walking into the office, Booth saw a middle aged man standing next to a desk, looking at a calendar and talking on the phone. Seeing the Sheriff and his companions, the man on the phone nodded and mouthed "I'll be just a minute". Listening to the person on the other end of the call, the man said "Will do" and then ended his call. Smiling, the man said, "What can I do for Sheriff?"

Smiling, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Woody. I'd like you to meet Special Agent Booth. He and Dr. Sweets are here looking into the murder of Adam Decker and Christy Clark."

Turning a nasty shade of pale, Woody put his hands on his desk and then sat down. Collecting himself, Woody gave the law in front of him a weak smile and said, "Uh, Adam Decker and Christy Clark were murdered? What's that got to do with me?"

Very interested in the reaction that Woody gave them, Booth said, "We heard that you threatened Christy Clark a few days before she and Adam Decker disappeared. Apparently she found a document, in your mother's bible, that may cause the descendants of Samuel Ford a lot of trouble. From what I heard, you demanded the document back."

Giving a weak laugh, Woody said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Agent Booth. I don't know anything about any document that Christy might have had. She borrowed a bible from my mother and all I did was ask for it back. She was taking too long using it. Mom wanted it back."

"Is that right?" Booth asked, "According to a credible witness, you tracked down Christy and Adam at Fort Bedford and confronted them about the bible and the document. You made several threats and you managed to frighten Christy."

"That's not true," Woody said. "I just asked for the bible back and I didn't threaten Christy."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "So, if we were to go out to Fort Bedford and talk to the people that work there, they'll back up your story?"

Shaking his head, Woody said, "Hell, I can't be held responsible if people think they heard one thing when I said something else. I only wanted the bible back. There is no document. I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't threaten Christy either."

Shaking his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Ok, Woody. We're going to go out to Fort Bedford and check out your story. If it doesn't match up with what you said, we'll come back here and we'll have another little talk. If I have to do that, I'm going to be in a very pissed off mood, so, you better think twice about wasting my time like that."

Swallowing hard, Woody said, "Ok, I may have threatened Christy; but, it was in the heat of the moment. I just wanted my mother's bible back."

"And the document?" Booth asked.

Sighing, Woody said, "Ok, there was a document in the bible that I wanted back too. The document isn't any of your business. I didn't kill Christy Clark and Adam Decker; so, I want you all to get the hell out of my shop. Right now. You have no right harassing me."

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Ok, we're leaving for now, Woody. Just keep this in mind, this isn't over yet. Not by a long shot."

Turning around, Sheriff Dunkle made a sweeping motion with his hands towards Booth and Sweets. Taking the hint, Booth and Sweets left the office.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Walking out into the parking lot, Sheriff Dunkle caught up with Booth and said, "Without a crime scene, I don't have any proof about what happened to Adam and Christy. Would you like to talk to Mavis Ford?"

Pointing to the blue painted house across the street, Sheriff Dunkle said, "She lives over there."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "I sure would Sheriff. Let me call my partner back at the Jeffersonian and let her know what's going on. Her assistants were still looking for the bullets in all of that goop in the barrels the last time I talked to her. Maybe they found them. If they did, we may be able to trace the gun to it's owner."

"Sure," Sheriff Dunkle said, "I'll make a few phone calls myself while you're doing that."

Walking away from Booth, the Sheriff walked around his car, opened the driver's side door and sat down in the drivers seat. Getting his phone out of his jacket pocket, the Sheriff made several phone calls, while Booth made his.

Oooooooooooooo

How am I doing?


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for the review. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

I don't own Bones.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Leaning against his truck, Booth called Brennan. Hearing Brennan answer her phone, Booth smiled and said, "Heah Bones. How's it going?"

Smiling herself, Brennan said, "I'm fine, Booth. Are you having any luck finding the crime scene yet?"

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Not yet. Did your squints find the bullets yet? I may have a lead and I think those bullets would be a big help."

"Yes," Brennan said, "Hodgins found them a few hours ago. He turned them over to Cam. Cam told me she ran them through the National database; but, they didn't come up there as a match to any past crimes. She told me that she'll keep looking; but, she really needs the gun. If you can find it, she'll be able to let you know if the bullets came from that gun. The gun was a 45."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Thanks, Bones. I do have a suspect I'm interested in. I'll have to find out if he owns a 45. I don't know how hard it will be to get a warrant around here; but, if I find out my suspect owns a 45 I'll try to get one. I'm pretty sure I know who did the murders, it's just a matter of time proving it now. The Sheriff and I are looking for the crime scene. How's Christine and Pops doing? I forgot to ask, did Rebecca come by and pick up Parker yesterday morning?"

"Yes, Parker told me to tell you that he loves you and he'll see you in two weeks. Christine and Hank were fine when I left the apartment this morning. Sue was cooking omelets for Hank and herself when I left."

Smiling, Booth said, "What no omelet for you?"

"No, Booth. You know, I only like your omelets. Whatever special ingredient you use to make them, makes me only want to eat your omelets. Everyone else's omelets seem so boring compared to your's."

Smiling, Booth said, "Of course, now that we don't live by ourselves anymore, I guess we can't have anymore late night omelet parties. That's too bad. I'll tell you what, I'll make you an omelet when I get home."

"You know, if you would just tell me what you're secret ingredient is, then I could cook my own omelets and you wouldn't have to do it for me." Brennan said.

Laughing, Booth said, "Hint all you want, Bones, I'm not telling you what my secret ingredient is. It's my secret and I'm planning on taking that secret with me to my grave."

"Humph," Brennan said. "I suppose I'll just have to make sure you live a very long time then."

Smiling Booth said, "I guess you will at that. I have to go, love you."

Ending his call, Booth smiled. "Who knew dill weed was that good?" Booth thought.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Seeing Booth end his call, Sheriff Dunkle wrapped up his call and got out of his car.

Walking over to where Booth was standing, the Sheriff said, "I know Mavis lives across the street; but, I think it would be better if we drove over there and pulled our cars over behind her garage. Woody might not notice what we're up to if we do it that way."

Agreeing with the Sheriff's plan, Booth let the Sheriff know that the weapon they were looking for was a 45. Pleased with the information, Sheriff Dunkle walked back to his car.

Booth got back into his truck, along with Sweets, who had been standing over near the road to give Booth privacy while he talked on the phone. Booth then followed the Sheriff out of the Auto Shop parking lot. Mavis's house was across the street and down the road for about five hundred feet from the auto shop. Leaving the parking lot, the Sheriff turned right and drove down to Mavis's house. He then drove up her driveway and then drove around her garage. Following the Sheriff, Booth found that there was a big lot behind the garage. Making sure that his truck couldn't be seen from the road, Booth got out of his truck.

Sweets, feeling like a spy or something, got out of the truck and said to Booth, "I wonder if they have "Shoot the burglar" laws in this state."

Rolling his eyes, Booth said, "I'd hardly think anyone would shoot at us with a Sheriff standing next to us. You worry to much Sweets."

Shrugging his shoulders, Sweets followed Booth over to where the Sheriff was waiting for them.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Mavis Ford was a little shocked when she opened her front door and found the Sheriff standing outside.

Taking off his hat, Sheriff Dunkle said, "Hello Mrs. Ford. I was wondering if we could talk to you?"

Nodding her head, Mavis stepped aside and let the Sheriff and his friends into her home. Smiling, Mavis said, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Sheriff? It's too early for you to be running for office again."

Smiling, Sheriff Dunkle said, "No, you're right." Pointing to Booth, the Sheriff said, "This is Special Agent Booth and this is his associate, Dr. Sweets. Their with the FBI. We were wondering if you would answer a few questions for us about Christy Clark."

"I'll try." Mavis said. Walking over to a rocking chair, placed next to the couch, Mavis sat down. "What do you want to know?"

Taking the lead, Booth asked, "Did you get your bible back from Christy Clark?"

Nodding her head, Mavis said, "Oh yes, Woody got it back from Christy a few months ago. She was done with it and she was sorry that she had borrowed it for so long."

Nodding his head, Booth asked, "Did Woody get the documents back too?"

"Oh yes," Mavis said. "They were fine too. Woody was afraid they might get damaged since their so old. Their one hundred and sixty years old you know."

"Did Woody say where he met Christy and Adam when they gave him the bible and documents back?"

"Oh yes," Mavis said again. "Woody arranged to meet Christy and Adam at his auto shop. He's a busy man and it's hard for him to get away from work for any length of time. Woody said Christy dropped by with Adam and dropped off the bible. They came over on Adam's motorcycle. I remember, because Woody said he thought it was stupid to be carrying valuable bibles and documents in back packs on motorcycles. He thought they should have been more careful about property that didn't belong to them."

"Does Woody own a gun, Mrs. Ford?" Sheriff Dunkle asked.

"Oh yes," Mavis repeated. "He owns two guns, three rifles and one shotgun. He inherited them all from his father. He doesn't shoot them very much though. He says there a pain in the neck to clean."

"Would one of those guns happen to be a 45, Mrs. Ford," Booth asked.

"Oh yes," Mavis said.

Smiling, Booth said, "Thank you, Mrs. Ford. It's been a pleasure talking with you."

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "It sure has been, Mrs. Ford. We'll let ourselves out. Thanks for letting us talk to you."

Nodding her head, Mavis said, "It was my pleasure, Sheriff, drop by anytime."

Smiling, Booth, the Sheriff and Sweets left.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think? Is Woody cooked now?


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks for the reviews and alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Once they had walked back to where their cars were parked, Booth turned to the Sheriff and asked, "Do you think we have enough for a warrant in this county?"

Nodding his head, Sheriff Dunkle said, "I'm pretty sure we do. I sure would like to take a look at Woody's 45."

"I think it might be a good idea to get a warrant for his auto shop too. I'm pretty sure that's the crime scene. When I looked in the bays, I saw a few barrels along the back wall of the shop. They look like the same kind of barrels that the bodies were sealed in. Mrs. Ford did say that Woody met Adam and Christy there. Woody Ford certainly had motive and he had means, so I'm pretty sure Woody's our guy." Booth said.

"Not to mention that he almost fainted when the Sheriff told Woody we were there looking into the murders of Adam Decker and Christy Clark." Sweets mentioned.

Smiling, Booth said, "Yeah, he did turn pretty pale, didn't he? He might as well have held a sign up over his head saying I did it."

Laughing, the Sheriff walked back to his car. Getting back into his car, Sheriff Dunkle drove back to his office with Booth following him in his truck.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Asking Booth and Dr. Sweets to wait in his office, Sheriff Dunkle drove over to the courthouse and asked Judge Herbert Black for a warrant for Woody's 45 and to search his auto shop. After presenting the reasons for the warrant, Judge Black agreed to grant the warrant. The judge thought Sheriff Dunkle had enough against Woody Ford to give him the warrant for the gun, to search his auto shop and to look for the document that Mavis had given Christy Clark. Of course, it didn't hurt that the judge was the Sheriff's mother's cousin. Sheriff Dunkle couldn't help it if he was probably related to at least twenty percent of the county, by blood or by marriage. His mother's family was one of the early families in the county and he took great pride in that fact. Not to mention, it came in handy some times. Like at election time.

He was even related to the Fords; but, not to Martin Ford, thank God. As far as the Sheriff was concerned, a lot of Martin's descendants were plain nuts.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

After presenting Woody with their warrant, Sheriff Dunkle retrieved the 45 from Woody's house. Calling in some FBI squints from Pittsburgh, Booth and Sweets secured the auto shop and waited for them to arrive. Once the squints looked over the auto shop, they confirmed that the auto shop had indeed been the crime scene. Apparently, Woody had tried to clean up the blood that had spilled from Adam and Christy's bodies; but, he had done a very poor job and the squints didn't have a problem finding all of the proof that they needed for Booth and the Sheriff to make an arrest. They hadn't been able to find the documents so that was disappointing. All in all, Booth was satisfied, two out of three was pretty good. The murder was solved, justice could be done and now he could go home.

That the documents weren't found was fine with the Sheriff. That wasn't a can of worms he wanted opened anyways. Those documents were dangerous to the peace in the county. He hoped Mavis had them and that she had hidden them somewhere. Well, actually, he hoped that Woody had destroyed them. He wasn't going to spend any time looking for them and that was a fact.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Calling Brennan from his hotel room, Booth let her know that as soon as he and Sweets were packed, they were going to check out of the hotel and come back to D.C.

"So you've made an arrest?" Brennan asked.

Smiling, Booth said, "We sure did. The guy cried when we arrested him. He claimed it was an accident."

Frowning, Brennan asked, "How is shooting someone in the back of the head an accident? Two someones in the back of the head? Did he accidentally seal their bodies in the barrels too?"

"You got me Bones. He said he was afraid to call the cops when the accident occured because he knew it looked bad. It doesn't matter to me. It's his lawyers problem not mine. The Sheriff took Woody Ford into custody and Woody's going to be tried in Bedford County. Sweets and I are going to be leaving as soon as we can check out. I'll see you this evening, some time."

Smiling, Brennan said, "You certainly will. Would you like me to wear my sexy running shorts tonight?"

Grinning, Booth asked, "Just the shorts?"

Laughing, Brennan ended the call.

Oooooooooooooooooo

What do you think? Was my crime interesting? I know most of you caught on early; but, I hope it was still interesting.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks a lot for the reviews. I really appreciate every one of them.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had been having one of those days. No matter what he did or said, someone seemed to be yelling at him. It had begun when he had got to work. Cullen had called Booth into his office shortly after Booth got to the Hoover building. Cullen was upset that one of the Jeffersonian squints had given the finger to one of his agents. Cullen didn't know what it was about; but, he expected Booth to find out which squint had done it and make the squint apologize to Agent Harris.

After that wonderful little meeting had finished, Booth had been walking down the hallway towards his office, when Agent Harris had stopped him and asked him why he didn't have his pet squints under better control. They never showed proper respect to Harris and he was tired of it. Blah Blah Blah. Booth had shown his concerned face, nodded a couple of times and then walked to his office. "What am I?" Booth thought. "Some damn kindergarten teacher."

Walking into his office, he had listened to his voicemail. One of the voices was Cam, calling to complain about Agent Harris's attitude towards Jeffersonian personal. Cam wanted Agent Harris to apologize to Hodgins for calling him a freak. Shaking his head, Booth leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Booth finished listening to his voicemail and sighed, "It has to be Spring Fever," Booth thought. "Everyone's acting ape shit and I get to be the one who catches it. How the hell is that fair?"

Booth was feeling a touch of the fever himself. He temper was sitting on a razor edge and he was afraid that it was going to blow at the wrong time and the wrong place.

He and Brennan had been working case after case since he had come back from Pennsylvania and she was starting to get angry about it. They were working long hours and Brennan was getting tired of it. She wasn't getting enough sleep at night and she worried that Booth wasn't either. Christine still didn't sleep at night like Brennan had hoped she would. Brennan wanted to take a vacation and she was demanding that Booth take it with her and Christine. He had the vacation time; but, he had wanted to use most of it during the summer, when Parker was out of school. So far, he had managed to get Brennan to hold off; but, he knew he wouldn't be able to put her off until June. It was April and Brennan was getting more firm in her demand that they take off for a few weeks. Sighing again, Booth thought, "Damn, now I have a headache. The next person who yells at me is going to have his head handed to him."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Walking into the Lab area of the Jeffersonian, Booth looked around to see if he could see Hodgins. Not seeing him, Booth walked over to Hodgins' office. Arriving at the doorway to Hodgins office, Booth spied Hodgins sitting at a table, looking at something on a tray.

"Hodgins" Booth called out. "You got a minute?"

Looking up, Hodgins waved Booth into his office. "Hey, man. What's up?"

Walking into the room, Booth saw that the tray in front of Hodgins contained a revolver that had seen better days. It was completed covered in rust.

Nodding his head at the gun, Booth asked, "What are you going to do with that?"

Smiling, Hodgins said, "Well according to Agent Harris, I'm going to clean it up, test fire it and prove that this was the weapon that was used to kill Calvin Baxter last year by Daniel Whitney."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "You're kidding? That's nothing but a solid block of rust."

A little pissed, Hodgins said, "You think? I told Agent Harris that I couldn't do a thing with this gun; but, he wouldn't listen. It's been sitting at the bottom of a pond for a year; but, it didn't seem to impress the agent at all. I told him that it wasn't going to happen. I can't undo something like this. The jackass told me that he had heard that I was a freak when it came to stuff like this and I just didn't want to do it because he wasn't you. That made me mad. Since when am I that unprofessional? Huh? Since when? I told him to leave my office and come back when he could talk to me more civilly so he told me that I could stick my head up my"

Holding up his hand, Booth said, "Whoa. Stop. When did you give him the finger?"

Blushing, Hodgins said, "Oh, you heard about that? Well, when he was leaving he turned around and told me he wasn't going to let me get away with being disrespectful to him and he was going to file a complaint against me. I flipped my digit at him and told him if he really needed something to complain about then complain about that."

Looking at Hodgins, Booth realized that there was no way he was going to ask Hodgins to apologize to Harris. "Look, I'm going to take a picture of this so step aside."

Taking his phone out, Booth took several pictures of the gun. Shaking his head, Booth said, "Hodgins, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't flip your digits at any more agents. When you do shit like that, I'm the one who gets yelled at. The next time an agent is giving you a problem, walk away from the agent and call Cam. She's your boss. Let her deal with any agent that's giving you problems. That's what they pay her for. Call Cam or call me, I don't care, just call someone and quit flipping your fingers at people that I have to work with."

Nodding his head, Hodgins said, "Sure, Booth. I can do that. Uh, you didn't get in trouble over Harris did you?"

Grimacing, Booth said, "Gee, why do you think I came over Hodgins? Of course, I got into trouble over Harris. You know Harris thinks he's God's gift to law enforcement. He doesn't think you give him the respect he deserves. Why don't you try to at least pretend that he's worth being respectful to. I don't give a damn if you hate the guy and think he's a piss ant. Just stop treating him like he's an idiot to his face. My grandfather used to tell me you can catch more flies with sugar than salt. At least try, Ok?"

"Sure, sure, Booth. I can do that." Hodgins said. "Should I tug a lock of my hair when I see him? You know, maybe bow or curtsey?"

Sighing, Booth turned around and walked from the room.

"Well, that went about as well as I thought it would," Booth said. "I tried."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Leaving Hodgins office, Booth decided to look in on his sweetheart. A word he used in his head; but, not out loud. Brennan hated nicknames like that. She said they were overly sentimental, etc. etc. etc.

Walking into Brennan's office, he found that she wasn't there. Deciding to wait, Booth sat down on the couch and leaned back. His headache was still bothering him so he decided to close his eyes for awhile. Brennan had to come back sooner or later. In the quiet of the room, Booth nodded off to a dreamless sleep.

Oooooooooooooo

Brennan had gone across the street with Angela for some coffee and been gone for about twenty minutes when she came back to her office and found Booth asleep on her couch. Leaning over Booth, Brennan shook his shoulder. Startled awake, Booth looked up to see Brennan staring at him.

Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, Booth said, "Hey, Bones. Since I was here, I decided to look in on you."

"You were sleeping, Booth" Brennan said, "That means that you're not getting enough rest at night."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yeah, well every time Christine wakes you up, she wakes me up too."

Sitting down next to Booth, Brennan put her hand on Booth's knee and said, "That's why we need to go on vacation for a couple of weeks. Your tired. I'm tired. We need some rest."

Sighing, Booth said, "Look Bones, I know you want to go on vacation now; but, can't we wait for June? Parker will be out of school by then."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "You have four weeks of vacation coming. You can use two weeks now and two weeks in the summer. You're tired and you need to go on vacation. I need to go on vacation. We need to go on vacation. I am trying to be as clear as I possibly can be, Booth. If your so tired that you can fall asleep in my office waiting for me then that should tell you that I'm correct."

Pursing his mouth, Booth looked at Brennan's very concerned face and said, "Alright. I give up. I'll put in for vacation. I'll see about getting the next two weeks off, starting this Saturday. We have Parker for the next two weeks. How do you plan to go anywhere when I have him for the next two weeks?"

Puzzled, Brennan said, "I never said I wanted to go anywhere, Booth. Christine is too young to travel. Her immune system is still very vulnerable at her age. I plan to stay home for the next two weeks."

Shaking his head, Booth said, "You want to go on vacation and stay home? You never stay home when you go on vacation. In all of the years I've known you, you've never stayed home when you were on vacation."

Smiling Brennan said, "I never had a baby before either."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "Ok, why not?"

Leaning over he kissed Brennan and said, "I've got go. I have to meet with Cullen in a couple of hours. I have to talk to him about Hodgins."

Frowning, Brennan said, "Why are you meeting Cullen about Dr. Hodgins?"

Smiling, Booth said, "Hodgins took exception to Agent Harris calling him a freak and gave Harris the bird. Harris didn't like it and told Cullen about it."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "I don't understand. If Dr. Hodgins gave Agent Harris a bird and he didn't like it, why not just give it back. Why keep it and then complain about it?"

Squinting one eye are Brennan, Booth said, "Hodgins didn't give Agent Harris a bird, he gave him the bird. You know, you raise your hand, make a fist, put up the middle finger and wave it around. The bird."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Oh, I understand. He made a rude gesture."

Laughing, Booth said, "Yeah, rude. He made a rude gesture. Look I got to go. See you this evening." Getting up from the couch, Booth left Brennan's office.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Booth had been gone for about twenty minutes when Hodgins came into Brennan's office.

"Hey, Dr. B. One of your grad students just called me and told me that he was looking at my snakes last night and got a couple out of their tank to race them. He said one of them got away from him and he couldn't catch it. Have you seen my snake around here?"

Looking at Hodgins, Brennan said, "No, I haven't. You had better find it before Cam hears about this. You know she hates snakes."

Nodding his head, Hodgins said, "Yeah, I know, that's why I'm looking around. I don't want to get Barney killed just because your students can't control their inner child."

Shaking her head, Brennan asked, "Who is Barney?"

Smiling, Hodgins said, "My snake of course."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think about this chapter?


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for the review and alerts.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

As far as Booth was concerned, the second meeting with Cullen turned out to be a lot better than the one earlier that day.

Arriving at Cullen's office, Booth knocked on the door frame to get his boss's attention. Looking up, Cullen pointed to the chair across from his desk and turned back to a paper that he had been reading. Comfortable with what was on the page, Cullen signed it and looked up.

Seeing an opening, Booth said, "I don't think Harris told you the whole story about the squint."

Nodding his head, Cullen said, "Of course not. What is the whole story?"

"Apparently, Harris took a gun over to the Jeffersonian and asked one of the squints over there to clean it and test fire it. The squint told him it wouldn't be possible to do that because the gun it too damaged and this made Harris mad. He accused the squint of not doing his job. He then told the squint to stick his head up his ass and called him a freak. The squint got pissed and gave him the bird."

Shaking his head, Cullen said, "Is the gun that badly damaged?"

Nodding his head, Booth handed over an envelope containing the pictures that Booth had taken of the gun.

Taking the envelope from Booth, Cullen removed the pictures from the envelope and looked at them.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Cullen asked,

"The gun Harris thinks can be cleaned up." Booth said,

"Shit," Cullen said.

Sighing, Booth said, "You know those squints do a hell of good job for the FBI. They've helped us close cases that we may never have been able to do on our own. I think they deserve respect and they definitely don't deserve to be intimidated by people who don't understand how they work. It would be a great loss to the FBI if we were to lose even one of those squints just because they didn't care to be insulted by people who should know better."

Smiling, Cullen said, "You mean they do a hell of a job for you. You're the only one that can get along with them, let alone understand them."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "I guess I should point out that the squint that got in to it with Harris, happens to be a favorite of Bones. If he were to quit, she'd be pretty angry. You know she can find other interesting things to do besides work for the FBI. If we make her mad enough, she'd do them too."

"What am I?" Cullen said. "Some damn kindergarten teacher. You find Harris and you tell him to get his ass in my office. Now."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yes sir. By the way, I need to take two weeks of vacation, staring Saturday."

Frowning, Cullen said, "You want to take two weeks vacation with just three days notice?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "My partner wants to go on vacation. She's tired and wants to go on vacation as soon as possible. I told her, if it was possible, I'd take the vacation with her. We don't have any open cases right now; so, now would be a good time to be off."

Shrugging his shoulders, Cullen said, "Well, if Dr. Brennan is taking off for two weeks you might as well too. Maybe she'll have kinder words for the rest of my agents if she has some rest."

Booth decided that in this case, silence really was golden.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving home that night, Booth found that he had beat Brennan home. She had called Hank and told him that she had some paper work that had to be finished and sent to the FBI by tomorrow morning. She thought she would be a couple of hours late.

Hearing that Brennan was going to be late, Booth made Hank and himself some grilled cheese sandwiches. Christine was asleep so Booth decided to watch a basketball game on TV with his grandfather.

Booth had been feeling a little drowsy when he heard Christine cry. Getting up, he went into her room to check on her. Turning the floor lamp on, Booth walked over to the crib and picked up Christine. Checking, he found that her diaper needed changing. After he had taken care of that problem, Booth carried Christine over to the chair next to the floor lamp and sat down.

Holding Christine, Booth said, "Well, baby. Daddy's going on vacation in a few days. With you and Mommy. How about that?"

Seeing that he had Christine's undivided attention, Booth continued. "Would you like Daddy to sing to you? You would? Well now, what do you want to hear? Daddy only sings a couple of songs that's worth a damn hearing. Daddy knows he's not the best singer around; but, he does try."

Smiling, Booth sang "Mad World". "What the hell", Booth thought, "Bones likes it."

While he was singing to his daughter, Brennan came home. Finding out from Hank where Booth was, Brennan walked down the hallway towards Christine's room. Hearing Booth singing, Brennan stopped and listened. As a rule, Booth was a terrible singer; but, for some reason, he sang Mad World fairly well and Brennan didn't mind hearing him sing it.

When Booth was finished singing, he said, "You know Christine. Daddy loves you very much. Besides your Mommy, you're the only one who'll listen to me sing and not make faces." Hugging his daughter, Booth walked back over to her crib and laid her down. Smiling, Booth walked back across the room, turned off the floor lamp and left the room.

Walking out of the doorway, Booth almost walked right into Brennan.

"Hey, Bones. When did you get home?"

Smiling, Brennan said, "Just a few minutes ago. Is Christine alright?"

Nodding his head, Booth said, "She's fine. Her diaper needed changing that's all."

Leaning towards Booth, Brennan kissed him. Surprised, Booth returned the kiss.

"Maybe a few weeks at home with Bones, is just what I need," Booth thought.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Would you like to review this story? I am interested in your views. Thanks.


	21. Chapter 21

Thanks for the reviews.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

The rest of the week was fairly quiet. A few things came up; but, since Booth was going on vacation with Brennan on Saturday, Cullen didn't assign any new cases to Booth. Booth took advantage of this by catching up on all of his paper work.

On Friday, Booth decided to go by the Jeffersonian and see if Brennan wanted to go to lunch with him. She had been eating lunch at work for the last few days so she could catch up on all of her paper work too.

Arriving at the Jeffersonian, Booth looked over at the platform and saw Hodgins. Waving, Booth kept walking to Brennan's office. Hodgins, seeing Booth, left the platform and jogged after Booth.

"Hey, Booth," Hodgins called out.

Stopping, Booth turned around and waited for Hodgins to catch up with him

Stopping next to Booth, Hodgins said, "Thanks man."

Puzzled, Booth asked, "For what?"

Smiling, Hodgins said, "Agent Harris called me and apologized for being an asshole. I'm pretty sure you had something to do with that. Thanks man."

Frowning, Booth said, "I don't know what you mean, Hodgins."

Punching Booth on the shoulder, Hodgins said, "That's ok. I do." Walking away, Hodgins headed back to the platform.

Smiling, Booth turned back around and walked to Brennan's office. Walking into her office, Booth saw Brennan sitting on her couch, looking at some papers.

Walking over to the couch, Booth sat down and said, "Want to go to lunch with me?"

Looking up, Brennan said, "Yes, of course. I thought we were supposed to be trying to be a paperless organization? It seems to me that we haven't reduced the amount of forms that we should."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth leaned over and kissed Brennan.

Smiling, Brennan said, "Let me put my papers on my desk and"

Frowning, Brennan leaned over Booth and looked towards the back wall, near her desk. Gasping, Brennan jumped up and stepped up onto the couch.

Jumping up from the couch, Booth put his hand on his gun and looked around to see what the problem was. Not seeing anything, Booth said, "What's wrong, Bones. What's going on?"

Swallowing, Brennan pointed towards her desk and said, "I just saw a snake go behind my desk."

Frowning, Booth walked over to Brennan's desk and looked around. Not seeing anything, Booth got on his knees and looked under the desk. Seeing the snake, Booth reached for it and picked it up just below it's head. The snake immediately started thrashing around. Standing up, Booth walked over towards Brennan.

Holding it up, Booth smiled and said, "Hey, it's just a blue racer. They aren't poisonous."

Holding up her hand, Brennan said, "Fine. That snake belongs to Hodgins. Please take it too him."

Puzzled, Booth left Brennan's office and took the snake to Hodgins. Walking up onto the platform, Booth walked over to where Hodgins was talking to Cam.

Holding up the snake, Booth said, "Hey Hodgins. Does this snake belong to you?"

Seeing the snake, Cam stepped back until she was standing against the railing and looked at Hodgins, "What is your snake doing out of your lab?"

Smiling, Hodgins took the snake from Booth and said, "One of Dr. B's graduate students was playing with it three days ago and lost it."

Giving Hodgins a look of horror, Cam said, "Three days ago? That snake has been loose, in this lab, for three days?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Hodgins turned to Booth and said, "Thanks for finding Barney." Walking across the platform, Hodgins walked down the stairs with his snake and took it back to his lab.

Watching Hodgins carry the snake away, Cam turned to Booth and looked at him.

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Don't look at me, I found it under Bones' desk."

Shaking her head, Cam left the platform and went back to her office. She planned on putting out a memo to all of Dr. Brennan's interns, banning them from going into Hodgins lab and office when he wasn't in them.

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth left the platform and went back to Brennan's office. Walking into her office, Booth found Brennan sitting on the couch, looking at her papers again.

Walking back to the couch, Booth sat down and said, "Ok, how the hell can you cut up a huge python and then be afraid of a harmless rat catcher?"

Putting her papers down in her lap, Brennan said, "If I give you my reason, you'll think I've become emotionally unstable."

Frowning, Booth said, "No, I won't. Come on, tell me. I want to know. What's the difference between the python and the blue racer?"

Sadly, Brennan said, "You are."

Not understanding, Booth asked, "Me?"

Pursing her lips, Brennan said, "When I'm by myself, snakes don't frighten me. When I'm with you, snakes frighten me."

Confused, Booth said, "I don't think I understand."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Yes. I don't understand either."

Concerned, Booth asked, "Would you like to talk to Sweets about this? This sounds like something he can help you with."

Looking at Booth, Brennan asked, "Do you want to talk to Sweets about your clown phobia?

Frowning, Booth said, "I see. Ok, I'll tell you what. You help me whenever there's a clown around and I'll help you whenever there's a snake around. Does that sound acceptable?"

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Yes, it does; but, what if someone is dressed up as a clown and is carrying a snake?"

Looking at Brennan very intently, Booth said, "Then we're both screwed."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think about his chapter? I hope you didn't forget that Hodgins' snake was on the loose?


	22. Chapter 22

Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like my story so far.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

That afternoon, Booth drove over to Parker's school. Parker was staying with him for the next two weeks and Rebecca had asked him to pick Parker up after school was let out for the day. Arriving fifteen minutes early, Booth parked his truck in front of the school and sat watching the main entrance. After sitting in his truck for five minutes, Booth decided to get out of his truck and stand next to his truck. That way Parker wouldn't have to look for him.

Booth had been standing next to the passenger side of the truck for about five minutes, when Booth found that he had company. Two ladies, sitting in the car in front of his truck got out their car and walked over to where Booth was standing.

Holding out her hand, the petite blond said to Booth, "Hi, my name is Beatrice Jenkins and this is my friend, Cindy Leblanc. Are you waiting for your child?"

Smiling, Booth took Beatrice's hand in his and gave it a quick shake. Releasing her hand, he looked at the entrance and said, "Yes, I'm waiting for my son."

Frowning, Beatrice said, "I suppose his mother was too busy to come get him."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "Yes."

Cindy feeling that she wasn't getting the information that she was looking for, said, "Who's your son, Mr. Uh, Mr. uh what's your name?"

Glancing at Cindy, Booth said, "My name is Seeley Booth. My son is Parker Booth."

"Oh," Beatrice said, "I know Parker. He plays with my son, Sam, at the house sometimes. You're not Rebecca's husband, I've met him before."

Wondering how he could get rid of Beatrice and Cindy without making a scene, Booth said, "Rebecca's husband isn't Parker's father."

Finding that information to be informative, Cindy said, "Oh, so you're her ex. Couldn't you get your wife to come and get Parker?"

Getting very irritated, Booth said, "No. She's busy too."

Disappointed, Beatrice said, "Oh, so your married. How nice for you."

Smiling, Booth said, "Yes, very nice."

Thankfully, the school door's opened and the children attending the school started racing out of the doors. Rolling his eyes, Booth thought, "Thank God. I wonder what Bones would say if I started wearing a wedding ring?"

Seeing his father, Parker ran up to Booth and said, "Hey Dad. Looking at Beatrice, Parker said, "Hello Mrs. Jenkins."

Smiling, Booth said, "Come on Parker, I'll drop you off at home. Pop's is waiting for you."

Giving Beatrice and Cindy his charm smile, Booth walked around his truck and got into the driver's side. Making sure that Beatrice and Cindy were safely away from the front of his truck, Booth pulled out into the road and sped away from what Booth thought might be trouble.

Glancing at Parker, Booth asked, "Are Mrs. Jenkins and Mrs. Leblanc married?"

Shaking his head, Parker said, "No, Dad. Their divorced."

Nodding his head, Booth thought, "That's what I thought, they were fishing."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

That evening, Booth was laying in bed with his arms around Brennan. Deciding to talk to Brennan about the ring, Booth said, "Bones, I may start wearing a wedding ring."

Frowning, Brennan said, "Why? We aren't married."

Clearing his throat, Booth said, "Well, a ring would have come in handy this afternoon when I went to the school to pick up Parker. There were two divorced mother's standing outside of the school. I think they were husband hunting. A ring would have let them know I was off limits."

Concerned, Brennan said, "They were making sexual advances towards you?"

Frowning, Booth said, "I think they were seeing if I was available. It seemed like that's what was going on to me anyways."

Thinking about it for a little while, Brennan said, "Since you are very attractive, I would assume that women make sexual advances towards you all of the time. Why worry about it now?"

Smiling, Booth said, "Thanks for the compliment. Yeah, I get hit on sometimes. It's never bothered me before. In fact, I used to like it; but, now, for some reason it bothers me. I don't want women trolling for me when I've already been caught. It's disrespectful to you and Christine."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "If you want to wear a ring, then I don't see why you shouldn't. Just don't expect me to wear one."

"Just out of curiosity, when are you going to ask me to marry you, Bones?" Booth asked.

"Me?" Brennan said, "I'm not going to ask you to marry me. You're supposed to ask me to marry you."

Removing his arms from around Brennan, Booth propped himself up on his right hand and leaned over Brennan. Looking at her, Booth said, "I've told you before Bones. You have to ask me to marry you."

Looking up at Booth, Brennan said, "Alright. Will you marry me?"

Stunned, Booth stared at Brennan.

Puzzled, Brennan said, "What's the matter, Booth? Do you need time to decide how you want to answer the question?"

Clearing his throat, Booth said, "Uh, Bones. Are you serious? Did you just ask me to marry you?"

Frowning, Brennan said, "Yes, I did. It's what you wanted, isn't it?"

Smiling, Booth put his arms around Brennan again and said, "The answer is yes, Bones. Yes, I will marry you."

Happy, Booth thought about it for a minute and asked, "Did you ask me to marry you because you decided that you finally wanted to get married or because I asked you to ask me to marry you?"

"Yes." Brennan said.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Well, what do you think. I hope that conversation surprised you.


	23. Chapter 23

Thanks for the reviews. The last chapter had a lot of reviews and I appreciated that.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning, Booth and Brennan decided to clean the apartment. If they got that out of the way, then they could spend the rest of the week doing nothing, which is what Brennan wanted to do on her vacation.

After breakfast, Booth assigned the dusting to Parker. Booth hated dusting with a passion. So did Parker.

"Ah come on Dad, I hate dusting. Let me vacuum the floors instead." Parker begged.

Smiling, Booth said, "Ok, Parks; but, you'll miss the treasure hunt. I guess Bones wouldn't mind treasure hunting."

Curious, Parker and Brennan asked, "Treasure hunting?"

Nodding his head, Booth said, "To make dusting interesting, I've hidden three treasures in three different rooms. If everything is dusted properly, you'll find them. If you don't, then I'll collect the treasures when you're done and keep them for myself."

Walking over to Booth, Parker took the bottle of Endust and the rags from Booth's hands and said, "Dusting it is."

Turning towards Booth, Brennan asked, "What treasures are Parker looking for?"

Shaking his head, Booth said, "Oh no. If you want to know what they are, you have to look for them yourself or wait until Parker finds them."

Sticking her tongue out, Brennan walked into the kitchen to start laundry. Dusting wasn't Brennan's favorite household job either.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

While they were folding their now clean clothes, Brennan decided to talk about their upcoming marriage.

"Booth, I want to talk about my proposal," Brennan said.

Afraid that Brennan had changed her mind, Booth asked, "What about it?"

"I know your Catholic; but, I don't want to get married in a church. I want to get married by a Justice of the Peace."

Relieved, Booth said, "That's ok. I didn't plan on a church wedding anyways. You'd have to convert and I don't think Hell is going to be freezing over anytime soon."

Seeing the look on Brennan's face, Booth said, "Ok, I was just kidding, Bones. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I know you aren't religious and I don't expect you to get married in the church. A Justice of the Peace is fine with me."

Relieved, Brennan said, "I don't want anyone to attend our wedding except the people living in our household. Our wedding isn't anyone else's business."

Confused, Booth asked, "Don't you want Angela to be at your wedding? Or your Dad?"

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "I wasn't at Angela's wedding, so I don't think she has a right to complain if she isn't at mine. I don't want Dad at my wedding because he told me he wants us to have a big wedding some day and I don't want to disappoint him."

"So you would rather disappoint him by not having him at your wedding at all? That's kind of bad, Bones," Booth said. "Every father should be allowed to attend their daughter's wedding. I know I sure would be upset if my daughter got married and I wasn't allowed to come to her wedding."

Thinking it over, Brennan said, "Alright. I'll invite Dad to our wedding; but, I'll wait until the morning of the day we're going to do it. That way he can't come up with a plan of his own. You know he can't be trusted to go along with our plans if he doesn't like them. Short notice should take care of that.

"I know you've said you don't want a wedding ring; but, that was before you asked my to marry you." Booth said. "Do you think you might want a wedding ring when we're married?"

Looking at Booth, Brennan said, "I might consider a ring as long as it was a simple band. I don't want to wear a ring that has stones in them. I have to wear latex gloves a lot in the course of doing my job and a ring that contained a stone would be inconvenient."

Nodding his head, Booth said, "So, if I bought us matching bands you would wear one?'

Thinking about it further, Brennan said, "I might wear one, Booth. I'm not sure yet."

Smiling, Booth asked, "Ok, that's fine for now. Do you know when you want to get married?"

Smiling back, Brennan asked, "Would this coming Friday evening be too soon?"

Putting down his towel that he was folding, Booth stepped closer to Brennan and hugged her. Kissing her, he felt so happy he thought his heart would explode.

Walking into the kitchen, Hank saw Booth and Brennan passionately kissing and left. Deciding he didn't need a floor show, Hank went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Parker, having finished dusting, walked into the living room and sat down beside him.

Smiling, Parker said, "I've been on a treasure hunt, Pops. I found two packs of baseball cards and one pack of hockey cards. Have you seen Dad and Bones?"

Smiling, Hank said, "Yeah, they're in the kitchen, kissing."

Looking at his cards, Parker said, "That's why I asked."

Nodding his head, Hank said, "You learn fast."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

That afternoon, Booth took Parker to a hockey game. Booth had tried to get Brennan to go with them; but, she reminded Booth that the purpose of their vacation was to rest. She didn't consider a hockey game very restful. She also reminded Booth that he had promised to rest himself.

"Ah, come on Bones." Booth said, "I slept ten hours last night. As long as I'm allowed to sleep like that every day, I'm going to be more than rested. I just can't believe that Christine slept through the night last night."

Shaking her head, Brennan said, "Christine didn't sleep through the night last night. She woke up twice last night."

Concerned, Booth said, "Wait, you mean Christine cried last night and I didn't hear her?"

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "I told you, you were tired. I plan to nap this afternoon. As soon as Christine goes to sleep for her nap, I'm going to do the same."

"OK, Bones." Booth said, "You rest your way and I'll rest my way. Parker and I are going to the game. We'll be back as soon as the game is over. Would you like me to pick up Thai food on the way home?"

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Yes. Not having to cook can be very restful."

Smiling, Booth kissed Brennan and left the apartment with Parker.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The hockey game had been a disappointment. Booth's favorite team had lost the game. After the game, Booth told Parker that he needed to do a little shopping. Taking Parker to a jewelry store, Booth looked over the wedding ring selection.

Thinking about the last time he had gone ring shopping made Booth feel a little sick to his stomach. He had spent a fortune for a ring and then, when Hannah had turned him down, he had thrown the ring away. Now, whenever he let himself think about it, he felt very stupid. "Hell, I could have sold the damn thing on eBay and got some of my money back."

What he didn't like to think about was the fact that he had asked Hannah to marry him when he had been feeling desperate. His desperation stemmed from the fact that he knew that he still loved Brennan and he was living with Hannah. He told himself that he loved Hannah and he believed it. Brennan hadn't wanted him and she had told him that she only wanted to be his partner, not her lover. He tried to move on and he had tried to do it with Hannah. The only thought he had now, when he thought about that time in his life, was the fact that, even though he had tried to love Hannah and make a life with her, Hannah had broken his heart. Seeing how that refusal had actually worked for him, he was actually grateful that Hannah had refused to marry him. It hurt like hell at the time; but, that pain was worth what he had now.

He had plenty of time to think about the decisions he had made in the last couple of years and he realized that his attempt to run from Brennan had been his attempt to run from himself. Instead of being patient, Booth had been impulsive instead. That impulsiveness caused pain for Brennan and then for himself. In his efforts to find someone who loved him and wanted to be with him, he had almost lost the one person in this world that he loved the most.

"Well, that's done. I'm happy and Bones says she's happy." Booth thought. "We have each other and I think we've forgiven each other for the pain we caused each other. Hannah was a mistake. I can admit that now."

The thing that actually scared Booth was the thought that the mistake with Hannah had nearly driven him around the bend. If Brennan hadn't been there for him, he wasn't sure what would have happened. He liked to think he wasn't his father; but, he could see where drinking could take over your life if you didn't care. When Hannah had refused his love, he hadn't cared anymore. The thing that saved him was the fact that Brennan did care. She cared enough to be there for him and to help him get over the pain he had felt. He now had Brennan in his life and he would be there for her like she had been there for him.

Studying the rings, Booth bought two matching, white gold wedding bands. He planned on giving her ring to Brennan when they got married. He also promised himself that if she decided that she didn't want to wear it, then he would be fine with that. He was shocked that Brennan had agreed to the wedding. He sure as hell wasn't going to worry about a band of gold. He would wear his ring though. He was off the market and he wanted everyone to know it.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think about this chapter? Any comments?


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for the alerts and reviews. Thanks for reading my story.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The week crawled by for Booth; but, seemed to move at lightening speed for Brennan.

Brennan had planned on asking Booth to marry her eventually; she just hadn't planned on it being so soon. She knew he would never ask her. His heart had been broken too many times by women he thought were in love with him. She knew this included herself.

When Brennan had turned down Booth's plea to try for a more intimate relationship a couple of years ago, she had done it out of fear. She had been afraid that she couldn't be the person he needed. She had known how to be his partner and his best friend, she just hadn't known how to give herself emotionally to Booth like he needed and wanted. If this had just been a matter of sex then she could have agreed to his wishes; but, he had wanted more than that. She hadn't wanted to risk her friendship with Booth and because of her fears, they had almost lost each other.

Booth had moved on. He said he would. She just didn't believe he would really do it.

When Hannah came to D.C., Brennan had known that she had made a mistake. She knew it and because she loved Booth enough to want to make him happy, she had stepped aside and allowed Booth to try to make a life with Hannah. She had seen Booth distant himself from her and as he did that, she came to realize that her fears of losing him as a friend may happen anyways. She didn't know how to fix it and so she did nothing. She tried to still be the friend and partner that Booth needed and she accepted Hannah in her life as a friend.

Then Hannah did something that would forever make Brennan grateful and sad at the same time. Booth had asked Hannah to marry him and she had turned him down. Booth had been heartbroken and this had caused Booth to fall apart. This break down had actually disturbed Brennan more than she cared to admit. She had never seen Booth behave like he had done at The Founding Fathers. She had realized that he was walking a fine line between two worlds. Booth could recover from his rage and grief and continue as he always had done or he could keep his rage and destroy his life and with it, hers. She had done the only thing she could do. She had stood by his side and let him know that she was there for him. She would always be grateful that Booth had seen her as being on his side and that he had come to realize that he wasn't alone.

They had both made foolish mistakes with each other. Brennan had no intention of letting that happen again. Booth wanted to be married some day. She was ready to make that happen for him. They were together now and neither of them needed to be alone again.

ooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had called Judge Anderson and asked him if he could perform a wedding ceremony for her and Booth on Friday evening. Judge Anderson was a member of the board of regents for the Jeffersonian and considered himself a friend of Dr. Temperance Brennan. The judge had been surprised about the request; but, had rallied and given her the time of 8 p.m. The judge was looking forward to seeing who Brennan was going to marry. Judge Anderson was well aware of Brennan's beliefs and knew that she didn't believe in marriage. He also knew she was living with her partner, he just never thought it would be more than that. He just had to meet the one man in this world that could turn Brennan's world upside down enough to allow her to commit to marriage.

Oooooooooooooo

In the middle of the week, Booth and Brennan went down to City Hall and got a marriage license. While they were there, Booth and Brennan ran into Caroline.

"What are you two doing here?" Caroline asked. "I thought you were supposed to be on vacation or something."

Smiling, Booth said, "We are. Nice seeing you, Caroline."

Frowning, Caroline said, "Uh, uh. You are not walking out of here and pretending that nothing special is going on."

Frowning herself, Brennan said, "Nothing special is going on. We are merely taking care of some paper work that needed to be done."

Looking at Brennan, Caroline said, "Do I have a sign printed across my forehead that says Stupid?"

Looking at Caroline's forehead, Brennan said, "No, I don't see such a sign."

Laughing, Booth said, "Very funny, Bones. Got to go Caroline."

Not laughing, Caroline said, "Stop right there. I bet you don't know that Judge Anderson is my daughter's boyfriend's father." Looking at Brennan and then Booth, Caroline said, "I happen to know what you two are up to and I don't appreciate not getting an invitation."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "Bones wants a small ceremony. You know, just the family and not even all of them. Her own brother isn't invited and neither is mine."

"Uh, huh," Caroline said, "I wouldn't invite them either. On the other hand, I would invite the one person in this town who actually thinks of you as a close relative. Of course, you realize I'm not old enough to actually be your mother; but, I could be your Auntie Caroline or even an older sister. You really think it's right to not invite me to your wedding?"

Blushing, Booth said, "Of course not Caroline. I just didn't think you'd be interested in a civil ceremony. It won't be fancy. The judge will just say we're married and then we're going back home."

Shaking her head, Caroline said, "And you don't think that won't be entertaining to me? Think again. I plan to be there. I had originally planned on just showing up and embarrassing you at the judge's office; but, now that's taken care of so I'll just have fun watching you squirm during the ceremony."

Curious, Booth asked, "Why would I squirm? I want to get married."

Laughing, Caroline said, "Yeah, Cher', that's what most grooms say until the big day comes and they start having a serious case of flop sweat." Waving her right hand, Caroline turned around and walked away from Booth and Brennan, "See you Friday at 8 p.m. Cher'."

Puzzled, Booth looked at Brennan and said, "What just happened?"

Sighing, Brennan said, "Our small ceremony just got bigger. Let's go home before we run into someone else we know. Apparently, Judge Anderson is incapable of keeping private information private. I wonder who else he told about our personal business."

Grimacing, Booth said, "I guess we'll find out Friday night."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo

What do you think? Is my story still interesting?


	25. Chapter 25

Thank you for the reviews and alerts. I read every review and appreciate them all.

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

By Friday, Booth was ready for the wedding to just be over. He had never wanted anything as much as he did his wedding to Brennan; but, the waiting was killing him. He kept worrying that Brennan would change her mind. Booth wasn't going to lose that fear until the Justice of the Peace said the words "I now pronounce you man and wife" and that was a fact. Considering how resistant Brennan was about major change in her life, Booth had already made up his mind that if Brennan actually did change her mind then his reaction would be no reaction at all. He didn't know if he could pull that off; but, he sure as hell would try. He wasn't about to lose Brennan over this, no way. Sure, he would be unhappy; but, he knew he would get over it. He was used to disappointments and not getting what he wanted in life. What was one more disappointment now?

Ooooooooooooooooooo

That Friday morning, Brennan called her father. It was 11 a.m. and Brennan thought it would be safe to invite her father to the wedding. She loved her father; but, she thought he was a little meddlesome.

Hearing Max on the line, Brennan said, "Dad. I'm inviting you to Booth's and my wedding this evening."

Hearing absolute silence on the other end, Brennan said, "Are you still there, Dad?"

Clearing his throat, Max asked, "You're getting married tonight? To Booth? And you're just now telling me? What the hell, Temperance?"

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Yes. Booth and I are getting married tonight. I decided to wait until this morning to tell you so you wouldn't have time to interfer with our wedding plans. I know you wanted me to have a big wedding, if I had ever decided to get married and I most definitely don't want one of those. Since the wedding will be a very small ceremony, I'm letting you know that you don't have to come to the wedding. I'm just extending the invititation to you because Booth was certain you would want to attend whether the ceremony was big or small."

"Of course, I want to come to your wedding, Tempe. Booth's right, big or small, I really want to be there when you get married." Max said. "So Booth finally proposed to you? It's about time he asked you to marry him."

Frowning, Brennan said, "Dad, this was my decision not Booth's. I'm the one who asked him to marry me."

Puzzled, Max said, "Can't you two ever do anything the traditional way? Would it have killed him to ask you?"

Shaking head, Brennan said, "We are who we are Dad. If you want to come to the wedding, I will call you this evening at 6 p.m. and let you know where the ceremony is going to be."

Frowning, Max said, "God, Tempe, are you that concerned that I might screw up your wedding plans? I won't do anything to mess it up. I get it. You want a small ceremony. It's your wedding, not mine. Call me at six and let me know where to go. I'll be there. You know, you need to trust me more. I'm not the meddler you seem to think I am."

Nodding her head, Brennan said, "Fine. I'll talk to you this evening." Ending the call, Brennan thought, "Maybe I should have called him at three or four this afternoon."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Brennan had volunteered to pick up Parker after school. Booth and Hank were watching some sporting event on TV and Brennan had told Booth that she wanted him to enjoy his vacation day with his grandfather. Booth had smiled and told her he appreciated it.

She had picked up Parker every day from school since Booth had done it last Friday.

Arriving at the school, Brennan had stepped out of her car and waited next to her car for Parker. While she was waiting, Brennan noticed that there were very few men picking up their children. She thought that the percentage of waiting parents was probably eighty percent women. She had been studying the group of parents every day this week and had been trying to determine how many women in the group were unmarried. She had talked to a few of the women over the week and finally decided that there too many unmarried woman in the group. Nodding her head, Brennan thought, "Yes, I think a wedding band on Booth's finger would be in order. I trust him; but, I don't think it's fair to subject him to sexual advances from women who are looking for new husbands. Booth belongs to me now."

Oooooooooooooooooooo

At five p.m., Brennan reminded everyone that the wedding would take place in three hours so everyone should consider getting dressed for the occasion soon. Booth smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. It was three hours to the wedding and Brennan hadn't changed her mind. Things were definitely looking up. Only three more hours and Brennan would be his wife. Booth started to relax. "Man," Booth thought. "This may turn out all right after all."

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

At 6 p.m., Brennan called her father to let him know where the wedding would be taking place.

"Gee, Honey," Max said, "I feel like a spy being asked to go to a clandestine meeting, not a father going to his daughter's wedding."

Annoyed, Brennan said, "You don't have to come if you don't want to, Dad."

Annoyed himself, Max said, "I was joking, Honey. I was trying to lighten up the mood. Of course, I'll be there, with bells on."

Frowning, Brennan asked, "Why are you going to be wearing bells?"

Rolling his eyes, Max said, "That was another joke, Tempe. It just means that I'll be dressed appropriately and ready to have a good time."

"Oh," Brennan said, "Then why didn't you just say that?"

Shaking his head, Max asked, "Your right, I should have. I'll see you in a couple of hours."

Ending the call, Max thought, "Man, she's nervous. I could hear it in her voice. I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of anyone who messes with her from now until she's married."

Oooooooooooooooooo

Brennan seems to be very nervous and Max is taking the brunt of it. Any comments?


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

7 p.m. came and everyone was ready to go. Booth had decided to wear his navy suit with the light blue shirt and the navy tie with the light diagonal blue stripe. He knew Brennan loved the tie because she had bought it for him for his last birthday.

Brennan had decided to wear her new burgundy dress. She knew Booth loved that dress because he had been with her when she bought it and he had told her that he really liked it.

Both Booth and Brennan were determined to make their wedding a memorable one, even if it was a small wedding.

Hank and Parker both wore the suits they wore for Sunday mass. Christine's nanny, Sue, had already left the apartment to go to night classes so Parker had volunteered to dress Christine. He had caught a glimpse of the dress that Brennan was going to wear so Parker had looked through Christine's closet until he found a cranberry colored dress. Parker had thought it was weird that his Dad and Brennan were having a small wedding. He had been to a bunch of weddings and he had never heard of a wedding being this small. As far as he could tell, there wasn't going to be a cake or anything. Just the wedding ceremony. "Oh well," Parker thought. "At least I get to go to the wedding."

Ooooooooooooooooo

Arriving at Judge Anderson's office, Booth, Brennan and their family walked into the office to find Caroline sitting in a chair and talking to Judge Anderson.

Turning around, Caroline smiled and got up from her chair. Walking over to Brennan, Caroline handed Brennan a small bouquet of flowers. "Here Cher'," Caroline said, "You need something borrowed, new and blue. I think these flowers will cover that."

Puzzled, Brennan said, "Thank you." She wasn't quite sure what Caroline was talking about; but, she would ask Booth later. She knew that there was a phrase about borrowing something for your wedding; but, she had never bothered to find out what the exact phrase was. Brennan assumed that Caroline must be referencing that phrase.

Hearing the outside door open, everyone turned around to see Max walking through the doorway.

"Oh good, I'm not late." Max said, "I got caught up in a traffic tie up and I thought I was going to be late."

Smiling, Booth said, "Nah, you're on time. We just got here ourselves."

Smiling, Max walked over to where Brennan was standing and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm happy for you, Baby."

Looking at Booth, Max said, "Better late than never I guess."

Frowning, Brennan said, "Dad, I don't"

Looking at Brennan, Max said, "I was just kidding. Man, Tempe. It was just a joke."

Seeing that Brennan was acting nervous, Booth smiled, put out his right hand towards Brennan and said, "Bones, everything is OK."

Nodding her head, Brennan looked at Booth and smiled. Stepping closer to Booth, Brennan put her hand in his and said, "I'm ready if you are."

Grinning, Booth said, "I've been ready, Bones."

Turning to the judge, Booth said, "We're ready, Judge. Anytime you'd like to start would be fine with us."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

The ceremony was short; but, to Booth, very sweet indeed. He now had something he never believed he would have. Brennan was his wife now. He knew she loved him; but, he had known all along that marriage would probably be out of the question. When she had proposed to him he had been stunned and couldn't believe that Brennan would actually go through with it. He had kept telling himself that everything was ok; but, he didn't stop worrying until the ceremony was over and Brennan said "I do."

During the ceremony Booth had put his new ring on and smiled at Brennan. Holding his hand out to her, palm up, he had offered the ring he had bought for her. Smiling she had taken the ring from his hand and put it on her finger. Surprised, Booth had leaned over and kissed her.

Oooooooooooooooooo

After the ceremony was over, Booth invited Max and Caroline back to their apartment for a drink.

"We're not going to do anything else." Booth said to Caroline. "Bones and I are going to take a honeymoon this summer when Parker is out of school. We've decided to take a family vacation to Disney World."

Hearing the magic words, Disney World, Parker said, "No way, Dad. Really?"

Smiling Booth said, "Way, Parks."

Smiling Brennan said, "I've never been to Disney World. I thought it would be interesting."

Frowning, Caroline said, "A honeymoon with the kids at Disney World? OK, Cher'. What ever floats your boat."

Smiling, Booth looked away from Caroline and looked at Parker who was holding Christine. "Sounds perfect to me." Booth thought.

"Well," Max said, rubbing his hands together, "if were going to go over to your apartment for drinks, then I think we should go now. I'm thirsty."

Squinting his eyes, Booth looked at Max with suspicion.

Seeing Booth staring at him, Max said, "What? Can't I be thirsty?"

Shaking his head, Booth took Christine from Parker's arms and said, "OK, everyone. Let's go home."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Arriving back at their apartment, Brennan opened the door and walked in. The minute she turned on the ceiling lights, people started rushing out of bedrooms and the kitchen yelling "Surprise."

Amazed to see co-workers and friends shouting out congratulations, Brennan turned to Booth who had walked in behind Brennan.

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth said, "Don't look at me. This must be Max's or Caroline's doing."

Turning to Max, who had just walked through the doorway with the rest of the family, Brennan said, "Dad?"

Smiling, Max said, "Hey, I said I wouldn't mess up your wedding. I didn't say anything about afterwards."

Looking towards Caroline, Max continued, "Besides, Caroline and I have been working on this party since Thursday morning. We understood that you wanted a small wedding; but, we wanted to celebrate the wedding that no one ever thought would happen. Hey, we love you and wanted to show it. This party is Caroline and my wedding gift to you and Booth."

Smiling, Brennan said, "Thanks Dad. You're right. You aren't the meddler I thought you were."

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Thanks for reading my story. This is the end of this sequel. I'm working on a sequel to this story right now. I plan to jump over six or seven years into the future. I think it might be interesting for Booth and Brennan to have to deal with a genius seven year old daughter. Would you be interested in that premise?

I am also working on a complicated story that I may start posting soon. I have several chapters of that story written. It's a diary kept by Booth and would cover the cases you saw on the show in past seasons, starting with Booth and Brennan's first case. Does that sound interesing? Let me know what you think about this idea. I might post the first chapter and see if anyone reads it. It will be titled "Booth's Diary".

I am going to start posting a sequel to "Death of a Clown" tomorrow. It's title is "Matchmaker". It's only three chapters long and it will very light and fluffy.


End file.
